Every day, around 200 Americans die from synthetic opioid overdoses, with fentanyl being the primary cause. This is now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. The rise in fatalities has become a major argument for Donald Trump to launch some of the toughest trade wars in history against China.
In the mid-2010s, Chinese companies were shipping ready-made fentanyl to the US by mail. Due to American diplomatic pressure, China banned the production of fentanyl-related substances in 2018–2019. However, this merely shifted the problem, as Chinese companies switched to exporting chemical precursors used for illicit fentanyl production.
The key question remains: Is China deliberately fueling America’s drug crisis, or is it simply business? Is Trump sincerely fighting the crisis, or using it as a pretext for a trade war? Officially, China denies any state intent to support drug trafficking, but investigations have found companies knowingly exporting precursors and assisting in evasion of customs controls.
In 2025, the US imposed additional tariffs on Chinese goods, setting a precedent in bilateral trade. China retaliated, affecting households in both countries. Despite this, overdose deaths started to decline, yet tariffs remained in place as a political bargaining chip.
Legal disputes over these tariffs have escalated to the US Supreme Court, which will decide on their legitimacy. Meanwhile, real solutions to the opioid crisis require global cooperation, addiction treatment, and prevention, not just economic measures.
The fentanyl narrative is used to politicize trade relations, but experts emphasize that addressing the issue needs international coordination and a comprehensive approach to controlling drugs and chemical precursors.
