President Donald Trump said he expects a “big step” on the topic of fentanyl during his anticipated meeting this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he expects to lower his fentanyl-related tariff on Chinese goods, which he imposed earlier this year to pressure Beijing into further curbing the export of chemicals that can be used to make the drug.
“I expect to be lowering that because I believe that they’re going to help us with the fentanyl situation. They’re going to be doing what they can do,” Trump said.
“We haven’t talked about the timing yet, but we’re going to work out something we’re doing very well with rare earth, as you know, and we’re, I think, going to make a big step with fentanyl,” Trump continued.
Trump is planning to meet with Xi on Thursday in South Korea during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit but Beijing is yet to confirm the talks.
Trump made the comments while traveling on Air Force One to South Korea as part of a multi-day diplomatic tour in Asia.
Earlier Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump and Xi are expected to strike a deal on the tariff. The U.S. could cut the 20 percent fentanyl-related tariff in half if Beijing cracks down on the export of chemicals that can be used to produce fentanyl, the WSJ reports, citing people familiar with the talks.
While Mexico has been the main source of fentanyl into the U.S., Chinese companies have been known to produce precursor chemicals, which can be used to produce fentanyl, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. While these chemicals have legitimate uses, criminal organizations in Mexico have been known to purchase them to produce fentanyl, the organization says.
Trump’s comments come after a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said in March that the nation has “made it clear more than once that fentanyl is the U.S.’s problem, not China’s.”
“It’s the U.S.’s responsibility to solve the issue,” spokesperson Lin Jian said. “Despite the goodwill China has shown, the U.S. wrongly slapped tariffs on Chinese imports by citing the issue of fentanyl.”
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi also spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday. They discussed the “importance of the U.S.-China relationship” and the upcoming meeting between Trump and Xi, according to a statement from the State Department.
Trump and Xi are expected to touch on a wide range of topics, including Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s rare earth minerals. When asked Tuesday if he expects Xi to push him on Taiwan, Trump said that he’s unsure whether the topic will come up.
“I’m not sure, he may want to ask about it,” Trump said. “There’s not that much to ask about it. Taiwan is Taiwan.”
The Independent has contacted the White House and the Chinese embassy for comment.
