China–U.S. Relations

A new peer‑reviewed study in the journal Science finds that Chinese government crackdowns on illicit fentanyl production and export likely caused a major disruption in the fentanyl supply beginning in mid‑to‑late 2023, contributing to a 34% plunge in overdose deaths across the United States and Canada through 2024. Using CDC and Canadian data plus online drug‑market chatter, researchers show fentanyl purity and overdose deaths declined in parallel, suggesting supply‑side diplomatic pressure may be more effective than mass street‑level arrests and creating what they call a temporary 'fentanyl drought' that could be leveraged to expand prevention and treatment. The findings come as the Trump administration has labeled illicit fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction and used the drug crisis to justify hard‑line foreign policy toward China and other countries.