China’s top diplomat urged the U.S. to lift tariffs on Chinese goods related to America’s fentanyl crisis before engaging in talks, exacerbating a trade tension between the world’s two biggest economies.
“If the U.S. truly wants to address the fentanyl issue, it should remove the unjustified tariff increase and have fair discussions with China,” Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi stated in an interview with Russian state news agency RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
Wang’s request came after U.S. President Donald Trump’s associate Steve Daines met with Chinese officials and requested China to halt the flow of fentanyl ingredients into the U.S. as a condition for negotiations, creating obstacles to possible high-level discussions. These conflicting demands cast doubts on the likelihood of trade talks to reduce tensions as the U.S. president is poised to announce reciprocal tariffs on global trading partners.
The issue of fentanyl has become a contentious point in U.S.-China relations, with Trump accusing China of not doing enough to curb the drugs entering the U.S., while China alleges the U.S. is using the matter as an excuse to increase tariffs. Last month, Chinese officials mentioned that the U.S. should express a “big thank you” for their actions against the opioid trade.
“If the U.S. persists in pressuring and resorting to blackmail, China will firmly counteract,” Wang remarked, according to a transcript released by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Wang made these statements during a visit to Moscow, where he met with Russian leaders and emphasized the significance of China-Russia relations, portraying them as “eternal friends, never adversaries.”
He also reiterated China’s willingness to collaborate with the international community, particularly countries in the Global South, to contribute positively to any peace agreement ending the conflict in Ukraine.
