U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order lowering tariffs on Chinese products linked to fentanyl, cementing a key element of his recent deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping after their first in-person meeting in years.
Earlier this year, Trump imposed an additional 20% tariff on Chinese imports in response to what Washington alleged was Beijing’s role in supplying chemicals used to produce fentanyl, the synthetic opioid blamed for tens of thousands of deaths annually in the United States.
Following their summit last month in Busan, South Korea, China pledged to intensify efforts to curb the export of fentanyl precursors to the U.S. In return, Washington agreed to halve its additional tariffs — from 20% to 10% — effective November 10.
Trump’s order formally enacts that tariff reduction while directing U.S. officials to closely monitor China’s compliance with the terms of the agreement.
The White House said the two leaders’ talks also resulted in the suspension of further tit-for-tat tariff increases until November 2026, extending a fragile truce between the world’s two largest economies.
Relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained this year as both sides raised tariffs to historic levels, disrupting trade flows and fueling global economic uncertainty.
Recent months have seen multiple rounds of high-level discussions aimed at stabilizing ties. Trump and Xi’s Busan meeting appears to have cooled tensions — at least temporarily — by renewing cooperation on drug control and trade.
SR
