China hits back at US over fentanyl issue, calls it Washington’s responsibility

China has hit back at the US over punitive tariffs linked to the fentanyl crisis, saying the issue lies within the country itself and Washington must solve it on its own, news agency Reuters reported. Lin Jian called the US tariffs unreasonable and dismissed claims that Beijing was not doing enough to stop the drug’s flow into the United States.At a press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokespersonThe comments follow US and Chinese officials meeting in Geneva on Monday, where both sides agreed to a 90-day suspension of some tariffs, aiming to cool long-running trade tensions. They pledged to significantly reduce import duties, with the US cutting its tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, and China lowering its tariffs on US imports from 125% to 10%. The tariff adjustments are set to begin on 14 May.Despite this temporary truce, Washington chose to keep a separate 20% tariff in place, citing Beijing’s alleged inaction on fentanyl as a sticking point.The recent 30% duty on Chinese imports includes the standard 10% and an additional 20% specifically related to China's involvement in fentanyl.US treasury secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the agreement in a joint statement, saying, “This 90-day pause is a meaningful step towards rebuilding trust and easing trade tensions. Both countries have committed to lowering tariff rates by 115% during this period.”China’s commerce ministry also announced it would suspend or remove a number of non-tariff countermeasures introduced since April, signalling a broader effort to ease friction.US President Donald Trump had set a 10% tariff as the starting point for trade talks. However, after his April 2 Liberation Day announcement shook markets, he gave most countries 90 days to negotiate under this standard rate.The two nations have been long embroiled in a tit for tat tariff war, which is now seemingly cooling down, after the trade talks in Switzerland.