China White, or Fentanyl, is one of the illicit Chinese drugs that recently got Elon Musk and Donald J. Trump tweeting about it on online platform X. While Mr. Musk Tweeted “Price of Fentanyl will rise sharply”, President-Elect Donald. J Trump wrote a big note on the same online platform accusing China of faltering to stop smuggling of Fentanyl into the United States. He also announced levying of additional 10% tariff, above any additional tariffs, on all Chinese products entering the United States.
Trump has raised his concern over rising drug trafficking cases sourced mostly from China. Though he was assured by the Chinese officials that there are strong laws in place, even up to death penalty for drug dealers, but nothing concrete is showing up as Fentanyl smugglers are operating fearlessly in the US. Therefore, Trump has warned China in an undertone and imposed additional tariffs on Chinese products. Another prominent US figure, Elon Musk, has backed Trump and his tariffs. Elon has already been vocal about Chinese electric vehicles and space exploration and how Beijing is resorting to unhealthy business practices to kill the competition. Both these global personalities now see Fentanyl as the latest weapon China is using to attack the US.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, has disputed Trump’s tariff call and responded by stating: “China is one of the world’s toughest countries on counter narcotics both in terms of policy and its implementation. Fentanyl is an issue for the US. In the spirit of humanity, China has given support to the US’s response to this issue.” Ning has insisted that the Fentanyl issue is US’s own failure to control the drug crisis. “The root cause of the overdose lies in the US itself, which calls for more effective measures from the US government,” he added. Fentanyl is listed in controlled substance list of China and in the US fentanyl analogues are temporarily controlled with the classification set to expire in December 2024.
So why Fentanyl is such a big deal for United States and even for other countries? Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, a drug more potent than heroine, which is responsible for opioid crisis in the United States and is also fueling drug epidemic globally. China is playing a big role in first manufacturing and then smuggling Fentanyl through a vast network of suppliers globally. China is trafficking its drugs through neighboring courtiers like Myanmar as it is transported to countries beyond Southeast Asia. This deadly drugfinally reaches the US shores through a network of suppliers activein Mexico.
The history of fentanyl smuggling in the US dates back a decade ago and in 2020 the US Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) found Chinese drug smugglers being the most active. In 2022, when the US speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, Beijing had angrily cut off several channels of communication with the US, including counter narcotics co-operation. Again last year, when Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met each other for bilateral talks in San Francisco the issue of fentanyl was raised. China claims that for past few months it has been scheduling fentanyl precursors banned globally in a bid to block the flow of fentanyl-related chemicals and the drug itself. These actions are a result of mounting pressure from world leaders like Biden and Trump as China insists that many drug traffickers have been caught. But contrary to China’s claims of being more vigilant the fentanyl smugglers are operating undetected globally. Especially in Mexico the Chinese drug manufacturers are able to deliver precursor chemicals used to produce Fentanyl easily. This has resulted a boost to Fentanyl supply from Mexico to deep into the US cities.
Report suggests that there are over 40,000 drug manufacturing companies in China that are involved in illegal production of Fentanyl and are mostly operating under the guise of pharmaceutical firms. Chinese cities like Shanghai, Chengdu, Beijing, and Wuhan have become the hub of fentanyl production and distribution. Nowadays, It is not just the sea routes but also the online platforms that are being used for drug smuggling by the Chinese drug vendors worldwide. China has become a global scare now when it comes to production and export of fentanyl, raising an alarm for drug regulation authorities around the world. As fentanyl continues to rank high among dangerous drugs causing overdose deaths in the United States, there is mounting pressure on both the Biden administration and global leaders like Trump to pull up China in wake of the flow of illegal narcotics. Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods is a clear indication how the US plans to hold China accountable, but it also underscores the need for broader international cooperation to combat drug trafficking.