On July 16, U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act, also known as the HALT Fentanyl Act. The legislation addresses a growing crisis in American society: the rising rates of fentanyl trafficking and fentanyl-related deaths. In 2023 alone, fentanyl usage caused the deaths of 76,282 Americans. As such, combating this critical problem has become a key priority for the Trump administration.
However, the fentanyl issue has extended beyond domestic policy and has become a source of heightened tensions with China. In February 2025, President Trump imposed a 10% tariff on Chinese imports, citing China’s alleged role in facilitating the production and distribution of fentanyl. In a post published on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump claimed: “A large percentage of these Drugs, much of them in the form of Fentanyl, are made in, and supplied by, China.“
Following the signing of the HALT Fentanyl Act, Trump stated that China is currently paying the U.S. billions of dollars in tariffs to compensate for the damage caused by its involvement in the fentanyl trade. His remarks, however, also included a degree of optimism. He acknowledged that China is taking “big steps” to address the fentanyl issue and expressed confidence that “China is going to end up going from that to giving the death penalty to the people that create this.”
In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian reiterated China’s longstanding position, stating that fentanyl is fundamentally an American issue and that the responsibility for it lies within the United States.
Lin criticized the imposition of fentanyl-related tariffs, arguing: “The U.S. has ignored China’s goodwill and insisted on imposing fentanyl tariffs on China, which severely undermines China-U.S. dialogue and cooperation on counternarcotics and significantly harms China’s interests. If the U.S. genuinely seeks to cooperate with China, it must acknowledge the objective facts and engage in dialogue on the basis of equality, mutual respect, and mutual benefit.”
