2025-11-18
10 分钟The Economist.
Hi, I'm Sarah Wu, co-host of Drum Tower, our podcast about China.
Welcome to Editor's Picks.
We've handpicked an article for you from the latest edition of The Economist.
We hope you enjoy listening.
The fight against fentanyl, a synthetic opioid,
is at the heart of America and China's uneasy trade war truce.
The drug has killed more than 300,000 Americans since 2020,
and related overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 44.
Shortly after starting his second term in office,
President Donald Trump slapped a 20% tariff on Chinese goods for the country's role in manufacturing the drug.
But last month, as part of a wide-ranging deal with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping,
he agreed to halve the tariff.
Mr Xi is going to work very hard to stop the death, Mr Trump told journalists.
China has promised significant measures, according to the White House.
China has offered tough action before.
But this time, momentum seems greater and the stakes higher.
Admittedly, a recent visit to Beijing by Kash Patel,
the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, appeared grim at points.
On the evening of November 8, the MAGA diehard was slumped unceremoniously in a drab hotel lobby.