BEIJING — President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing Wednesday and Thursday, pressing China on the flow of deadly fentanyl precursor chemicals into the United States as part of wide-ranging talks that also addressed trade and Iran.
The White House said Trump had a “good meeting” with Xi, highlighting discussions on expanding economic cooperation and addressing fentanyl precursor flows into the United States.
Fentanyl has been among the most contentious issues between Washington and Beijing. White House drug czar Sara Carter told a United Nations commission on narcotics last month that China manufactures fentanyl precursors in the “millions of tons,” adding that China’s weak export controls and lax enforcement allow its chemical industry to foster relationships with the cartels. Last year, an estimated 80,000 Americans died from drug overdoses and poisonings.
Despite some action following a previous Trump-Xi summit in South Korea last October, analysts say meaningful progress has stalled. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Congress ahead of the summit that the United States has seen only “incremental progress” on fentanyl, despite raising the issue in every official meeting with Chinese counterparts. The Heritage Foundation noted that China has engaged only in episodic rather than permanent crackdowns, providing tactical cooperation rather than long-term, sustained action.
The summit is scheduled to continue Thursday.
Featured Photo Credit: Official White House Photo
