By Sarah Roderick-Fitch | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump feels confident the flow of fentanyl from China will be curbed following a “great meeting” with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
The meeting prompted Trump to cut in half the tariffs the U.S. put on China due to the flow of the deadly drug.
“I’ve agreed, as you know, I put a 20% tariff on China because of the fentanyl coming in, it’s a big tariff, and based on [Xi’s] statements today, I reduced it by 10%, so it’s 10% instead of 20% effective immediately. I believe he’s going to work very hard to stop the death that’s coming in,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on his way back to Washington.
However, the president added that the situation is complex due to the legitimate medical uses for the precursors of the opioid.
“We agreed that he was going to work very hard to stop the flow. You know, it’s a very complex subject, because it’s used for lots of different reasons, including anesthetics. But he’s going to work very hard on it precursors. And I think you’re going to see some real action taken,” Trump added.
Trump described the meeting as “great,” rating the meeting a “12” out of 10. The two also agreed on a handful of key trade issues, including China’s purchase of American soybeans and a rare earth deal.
“There is enormous respect between our two Countries, and that will only be enhanced with what just took place. We agreed on many things, with others, even of high importance, being very close to resolved,” Trump posted on Truth Social following the meeting.
Shortly before the meeting between the two leaders, Trump announced the U.S. would restart testing its nuclear weapons to stay ahead of Russia and China in a nuclear arms race.
The two leaders have agreed to meet again in April in China, with another meeting proposed in the U.S. to be scheduled later.
Before the meeting, multiple reports claim FBI Director Kash Patel is planning to visit China next month to discuss the issue of fentanyl as well.
During a roundtable at the White House, Patel said that law enforcement has seized 5,101 pounds of fentanyl powder and more than 2.1 million pounds of fentanyl pills as part of a coordinated effort to curb the drug epidemic plaguing the U.S.
“Those aren’t numbers, those are lives…enough fentanyl to kill over 200 million Americans gone – evaporated – off our streets permanently,” said Patel.
The meeting comes in the midst of continual boat strikes on suspected narcotics traffickers in the Caribbean and the Pacific, specifically around Venezuela and Colombia.
Late last week, the administration ordered the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford and escorts to depart the Mediterranean and transit to the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility to support the current anti-drug trafficking operations in the region.