Experts said that fentanyl has played a key role in the U.S.–China tariff war and that there are four scenarios for the conflict’s future development.
The Chinese communist regime has said that fentanyl is a U.S. domestic problem, not China’s responsibility.
The statement came as the two countries reached a truce in the tariff war after talks in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 12. The 20 percent U.S. tariff imposed on Chinese goods linked to illicit fentanyl, however, hasn’t been lifted.
At the regular press conference of the Chinese Foreign Ministry on May 13, when asked about the fentanyl-related tariffs, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that “fentanyl is the U.S.’s problem, not China’s.”
He also accused the United States of imposing unreasonable tariffs on China over the fentanyl issue and demanded that the United States stop blaming China for the fentanyl crisis.
On May 14, when asked about the fentanyl-linked tariffs again, Lin said that after the United States levied two rounds of tariffs on Chinese goods based on the fentanyl issue, China responded with tariff and non-tariff countermeasures, which “remain in force.”
The United States and China reached a deal, reducing most of the tariffs put in place since April. The two countries, however, did not reach an agreement on tariffs related to the fentanyl issue during the talks in Geneva, despite U.S. officials making it clear to China the importance of combating this deadly substance.
Wang He, a U.S.-based China observer, told The Epoch Times on May 14 that the United States has a firm stance on the fentanyl issue, which has put great pressure on the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“The temporary trade agreement was reached this time, but the 20 percent tariff linked to fentanyl has not been changed, which means that the United States requires the CCP take more substantive actions,” Wang said.
He said that on the one hand, the CCP does not seem to be willing to do anything about the fentanyl issue, as it’s part of the communist regime’s unrestricted warfare against the United States; and on the other hand, it is also very difficult to do.
“So, it had the Ministry of Foreign Affairs act very tough, while during the negotiations with the United States, CCP officials showed a tendency of cooperation. It wants to temporarily ease the situation by performing a double act,” Wang said.
By Alex Wu
