By Robert McGreevy, Daily Caller News Foundation | April 09, 2025
Two bloggers linked to China’s government floated the idea of upping the flow of deadly fentanyl into the U.S. in retaliation to President Trump’s tariffs, CNBC’s Eunice Yoon reported Tuesday.
Both Niu Tanquin and a blogger known as Rabbit Chairman posted messages on Chinese social media suggesting the state was preparing to end cooperation with the U.S. on fentanyl, according to screenshots which Yoon posted to X.
Yoon, CNBC’s Beijing Bureau Chief, also noted that one of the bloggers was a “known nationalist” while the other was affiliated with XH News.
XH News, like virtually all media in China, is state-controlled, Bloomberg’s Mimmin Low noted.
The bloggers shared a set of virtually identical bullet points outlining six policy responses China was preparing to counter Trump’s tariffs. Among the points were plans to slap tariffs on US soybean imports, ban US poultry imports and ban US films in China.
“China has done a lot of work on the fentanyl/drug control issue, but the Trump administration has completely ignored China’s efforts, refused to accept China’s goodwill and continued to make groundless accusations, pushing all its problems onto China. Now, Trump’s threat to impose tariffs again has made fentanyl cooperation completely unfounded. China can suspend,” Rabbit Chairman wrote.
Fentanyl overdose deaths in the US have skyrocketed since 2012. They jumped from 2,628 that year to 73,838 in 2022, according to Statista.
Statistic: Number of overdose deaths from fentanyl in the U.S. from 1999 to 2022 | Statista
While the majority of fentanyl in the U.S. comes across the southern border — US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) seized nearly 22,000 lbs of the deadly drug at the border in 2024 — it mostly originates in China, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
China agreed to resume cooperation with the U.S. on curbing fentanyl flow in 2023 after decades of willful obstinance, according to the Brookings Institution.
China announced retaliatory tariffs on Wednesday, upping import taxes on U.S. products from 34 percent to 84 percent effective Thursday.
Trump announced Wednesday he would be suspending retaliatory tariffs on all countries for 90 days, with a 10 percent baseline tariff, except for China. China, Trump posted on Truth Social, will see their tariffs increased to 125 percent.
Robert McGreevy is a reporter at the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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