China says fentanyl is a problem for the US, not China

China reiterated on Thursday (July 17) that fentanyl was a problem for the U.S., not China, and added that U.S. tariffs over fentanyl "severely impacted the dialogue and cooperation between China and the U.S. in drug control."

The U.S. should "face up to objective facts" and engage in dialogue with China in an "equal, respectful and mutually beneficial" manner if it truly wants to work with China, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular news briefing.

Washington accuses Beijing of failing to curb the flow of precursor chemicals for fentanyl, a leading cause of U.S. overdose deaths. Beijing has defended its drug control record and accused Washington of using fentanyl to "blackmail" China.

Trump imposed 20% tariffs on Chinese imports over the issue in February, and they have remained in effect despite a fragile trade truce reached by both sides in Geneva in May.