Trump halves fentanyl-related tariffs on China, but warns of reversal if demands not met
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday formally halved US tariffs on Chinese goods linked to the fentanyl crisis.
In a move long sought by Beijing and sealed after months of tense negotiations, Trump also warned that the tariff relief could be reversed if China fails to deliver on its commitments.
China has “committed to take significant measures to end the flow of fentanyl to the United States, including stopping the shipment of certain designated chemicals to North America and strictly controlling exports of certain other chemicals to all destinations in the world”, Trump’s order stated.
The directive added that should China fail to implement its commitments, Trump may “modify this order as necessary to deal with the emergency”.
China spent months pushing for the rollback of the so-called “fentanyl tariffs” – first imposed at 10 per cent in February and later doubled weeks later as punishment for what the Trump administration saw as Beijing’s inaction on precursor chemical exports.
The Xi–Trump Busan summit finally broke the deadlock as part of what US officials have characterised as a “one-year” truce.
Trump last week hailed the newly negotiated trade deal with China as a “long-lasting” victory, and teased the possibility of more tariff concessions.
“I’ve given China great incentives to hold down the fentanyl, get rid of it,” Trump said on Friday, noting its medical uses while blasting its illicit trade.
“I really believe that they have an incentive,” he added. “I’d love to get rid of the extra 10 per cent.”
The executive order on Tuesday noted that implementation and oversight of China’s compliance will fall to US Homeland Security Secretary Christi Noem, who will update the president on China’s cooperation from “time to time”.
It instructs Noem, working alongside the secretaries of state and treasury, the US attorney general, and the White House national security team, to inform Trump of any circumstance that “might indicate the need for further action and shall continue to recommend to me additional action”.
Adding momentum to the deal, FBI Director Kash Patel is slated to travel to China later this month to cooperate on putting the fentanyl pledges into action. According to a CBS News report, Patel’s visit will advance US efforts against fentanyl precursor suppliers.
Patel and Trump have focused on stopping overseas production of precursor chemicals and related funding, blaming China for driving the US addiction crisis.
The push comes amid signs of progress at home: May’s provisional CDC data show US drug overdose deaths fell 27 per cent in 2024 to an estimated 80,391, the lowest level since 2019. In comparison, an average of 217 people died each day in the US from opioid overdoses in 2023.
