Washington: In a bold salvo ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Busan, South Korea, former US President Donald Trump has reignited tensions with China over the scourge of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has claimed over 300,000 American lives in the past five years.
After accusing Beijing of fuelling this deadly trade via Venezuela, Trump vowed to confront Chinese President Xi Jinping directly, making the drug crisis the centrepiece of their anticipated meeting.
Trump’s remarks, delivered in a recent press conference, underscore the mounting fury in the US over overdose deaths.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 48,000 Americans perished in 2024 alone from drugs laced with fentanyl — a painkiller approved in the 1960s for medical use but now a street menace. Its lethal potency is chilling: just two milligrams, akin to a pencil tip, can prove fatal. Often mixed covertly into illicit substances, it catches users off guard, amplifying the crisis as global supply chains evade crackdowns.
The US has long pointed fingers at China for supplying precursor chemicals to traffickers, with Trump alleging Beijing’s inaction has enabled the flow through Mexico and Canada. “China earns $100 million peddling fentanyl to our country, but our 20% tariffs cost them $100 billion — hardly a fair deal,” he thundered, warning of steep economic repercussions if China fails to act. Though only 0.8% of seized fentanyl entered Canada this year, Trump’s administration decries lax border controls there, citing reports of organised crime syndicates importing Chinese chemicals for production.
As diplomatic ripples spread, Trump’s gambit blends health alarm with trade brinkmanship, spotlighting a human tragedy that transcends borders. Will Xi’s response defuse the powder keg or escalate the opioid war?