US urges China to apply death penalty to fentanyl suppliers
The US is urging China to get tough on people behind illegal fentanyl, even asking for the death penalty for those supplying chemicals used to make it.
This push came after a summit between President Trump and China's Xi Jinping, where stopping fentanyl deaths in the US took center stage.
While earlier trade tensions lingered, China arrested 21 citizens, imposed new export controls, and rolled out tougher fentanyl-related guidelines.
China tightens export controls, arrests 21
Responding to US pressure, China has arrested 21 people linked to chemical supply chains and tightened export controls.
They've also classified orphines, synthetic opioids that can be 10 times more potent than fentanyl, as deadly drugs and promised deeper investigations into illegal chemical sales.
These moves seem to be paying off: US opioid-related overdose deaths have dropped from nearly 74,000 in 2022 to 44,564 in 2025, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.