China: United States Wrongly Use Import Tariffs For Fentanil's Reasons

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian in a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday (13/5). (ANTARA/Desca Lidya Natalia)

JAKARTA - China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the United States, which still uses fentanyl reasons to apply import rates to Chinese goods, could be a barrier to trade dialogue between the two countries.

"Although China has shown good intentions, the US has mistakenly charged imports from China for fentanyl reasons. The move has dealt a heavy blow to China-US dialogue and cooperation in eradicating narcotics and is seriously detrimental to China's interests," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday, May 13.

On Sunday (11/5), the two countries agreed to drastically cut import rates on their respective products based on negotiations attended by China's Deputy Prime Minister (PM) He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Geneva, Switzerland.

In a joint statement between the two countries, the US is said to be cutting the "return" tariff on Chinese goods to 10 percent but still retaining an additional 20 percent tariff so Beijing can act more to suppress fentanyl's illegal trade.

This means that the US reduced the tariff on goods from China from 245 percent to "only" 30 percent. The US also said higher import rates were suspended for 90 days, not permanently removed.

Meanwhile, China has also reduced the retaliatory import rate imposed in response to import rates from the US to 10 percent, which was suspended again for three months.

This means that China has lowered the tariff on US products from 125 percent to 10 percent. China also agreed to "accept or remove" all non-tariff actions against the US including special tariffs even though tariffs for goods such as steel and cars remain in effect.

Lin Jian said fentanyl is a US issue, not a Chinese issue, so the US as a responsible party is responsible for solving the problem.

"If the US really wants to cooperate with China, the US must stop vilifying and blaming China, and seek dialogue with China based on equality, respect, and mutual benefit," Lin Jian continued.

The agreement to cut tariffs between China and the US comes into force on May 14, 2025.

Although temporary, the agreement is the most significant step in an effort to ease trade tensions as well as provide fresh air to global markets that have been haunted by uncertainty.

In the joint statement, the two countries also emphasized the importance of building "sustainable, long-term, and mutually beneficial trade relations."

As part of the effort, the two sides will establish a new dialogue mechanism to maintain the momentum of the talks, which will be led by Chinese Deputy PM He Lifeng, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson total.

Follow-up meetings will be held in turns in China, the United States, or third countries agreed together. Lower-level technical discussions will also be held as needed.

Atas kesepakatan tersebut, Presiden AS Trump mengklaim bahwa telah terjadi "reset total" (pengelatur kembali sepenuhnya) dalam hubungan antara Amerika Serikat dan China.

"For the good of China and the US, we want China to be more open to America's business. BIG PROGRESS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED !!!" Trump wrote further on the Truth Social platform.