The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued an impassioned condemnation of President Donald Trump on Friday after he announced a plan to impose an extra ten-percent tariff on Chinese goods in March in response to China’s role in the American fentanyl crisis.
The Chinese Communist Party is a major global supplier of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl, a deadly opioid fueling a dramatic rise in drug-related deaths in North America. The U.S. government estimates that 150 people die in the United States every day as result of fentanyl and other opioid overdoses, a problem worsened by drug dealers lacing other drugs, such as cocaine, with traces of fentanyl that users often do not know are present and are often enough to kill the user.
As a result of China’s outsized role in producing fentanyl and helping its traffickers, President Trump announced shortly after taking office that he would impose tariffs on Chinese goods after being inaugurated, along with tariffs on Canada and Mexico in response to their failure to secure their U.S. borders. Trump has yet to impose the tariffs, extending the deadline in response to rapid action by the Canadian and Mexican governments, but he repeated the threat on Thursday, announcing a plan to impose the tariffs on March 4.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to the announcement with ire on Friday, insisting that the fentanyl crisis is not a Chinese problem and accusing Trump of “blackmail.”
“China deplores and opposes this move, and will take what is necessary to firmly defend its legitimate interests,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters, without elaborating on those interests.
Lin went on to insist that fentanyl is not an issue for China but, out of the Communist Party’s alleged generosity, it has agreed to help Washington with solving it.
“The fentanyl issue is the U.S.’s own problem. China has given support to the U.S.’s response to the fentanyl issue in the spirit of humanity,” Lin claimed. “China has conducted counternarcotics cooperation with the U.S. side in a broad-based and in-depth way. The remarkable progress is there for all to see.”
“The fentanyl issue is just an excuse the U.S. uses to impose tariffs on, pressure and blackmail China, and they punish us for helping them,” he continued. “This will not solve their concerns. It is only counterproductive and will deal a heavy blow to the dialogue and cooperation with China on counternarcotics.”
The Global Times, a Chinese regime propaganda outlet, further accused America of “ingratitude” on the fentanyl issue, demanding that Washington be grateful to China to its performative actions in response to concerns about China’s role in the fentanyl trade.
“China is one of the world’s toughest countries on counternarcotics both in terms of policy and its implementation. The fentanyl crisis is primarily a US issue,” the Times repeated, echoing the Foreign Ministry. “In the spirit of humanity and goodwill, China has given support to the US in its response to this issue.”
Contrary to the Chinese government’s insistences, ample evidence exists that China play a protagonist role in the development and trafficking of fentanyl. In his 2024 book Blood Money, investigative journalist Peter Schweizer revealed that China aids in the trafficking of fentanyl precursors to North America and helps Mexican drug cartels produce and distribute the drug.
“While we debate domestic politics to address the fentanyl crisis, the reality is that Beijing is deeply involved at every stage of the drug’s production and distribution in the United States,” Schweizer wrote in the book.
“Based on leaked US national security documents, Mexican government hacked emails or correspondence, and Chinese corporate records, we know that the fentanyl operation is under Chinese control from start to finish,” he reported.
In response to China’s role in the crisis, Trump has proposed imposing tariffs on Chinese goods. Trump initially proposed a ten-percent tariff on China and 25-percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods, which he postponed in response to conversations with those governments.
On Thursday, President Trump announced that the tariffs would go into effect on March 4 and that he would add an extra ten-percent tariff on China.
“Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels. A large percentage of these Drugs, much of them in the form of Fentanyl, are made in, and supplied by, China,” Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social. “More than 100,000 people died last year due to the distribution of these dangerous and highly addictive POISONS.”
“We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect,” he affirmed. “As scheduled. China will likewise be charged an additional 10% Tariff on that date. The April Second Reciprocal Tariff date will remain in full force and effect.”
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