An American senator has said that China must halt the flow of fentanyl ingredients into the U.S. before any trade negotiations, a demand that clouds the prospect of imminent leaders’ talks to ease tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
Steve Daines, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, laid out the condition in meetings with Chinese officials in Beijing over the weekend. The Republican lawmaker said he hopes a leadership meeting will take place before the end of the year, although Trump previously said it would happen soon.
"It’ll be difficult to have any conversation about tariffs and nontariff barriers until the fentanyl precursor issue is resolved,” Daines said in a telephone interview with Bloomberg News on Sunday.
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