China slams US over fentanyl-linked tariffs, urges Washington to stop blame game

China on Tuesday slammed the United States for linking punitive tariffs to the fentanyl crisis, calling it an unjust move that undermines bilateral cooperation and unfairly targets Chinese imports.The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that the opioid crisis is an internal issue for the US to resolve and urged Washington to engage in constructive dialogue rather than assigning blame.

‘US’s responsibility to solve fentanyl issue’: Beijing

At a routine press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian reiterated Beijing’s long-standing position on the matter. “As for the fentanyl issue, China has made it clear more than once that fentanyl is the US’s problem, not China’s. It’s the US’s responsibility to solve the issue,” ANI reported. He further expressed frustration over recent US trade actions.

“Despite the goodwill China has shown, the US wrongly slapped tariffs on Chinese imports by citing the issue of fentanyl. The move has dealt a heavy blow to China-US dialogue and cooperation on counternarcotics, and gravely hurt China’s interests.”

Lin urged the US to “stop vilifying and shifting the blame” and instead “seek dialogue with China based on equality, respect and mutual benefit.”

Trade reset underway despite tensions

The strong reaction from Beijing came just a day after US President Donald Trump described recent trade talks in Geneva as a “total reset” in ties between the world’s two largest economies. Trump said the talks were “very friendly” and that both sides had agreed to pause the implementation of reciprocal tariffs for 90 days.

“The relationship with China is very good. We are not looking to hurt China,” Trump said at a press briefing at the White House. “Maybe I will speak with President Xi Jinping by the end of the week.”

Despite the diplomatic optimism in Washington, China’s latest remarks underscore the fragile nature of US-China ties, particularly on sensitive issues such as counternarcotics cooperation and trade measures.

(With inputs from ANI)