Fentanyl Crisis Provided Opening for Trade Talks Between U.S. and China

Planned meeting in Switzerland to be first direct talks over trade during Trump's second term

- Lingling Wei, Brian Schwartz & Alex Leary

Beijing's outreach to Washington over fentanyl created an opening for trade talks between the two nations, according to people in both capitals who are familiar with the matter, paving the way for a bilateral meeting in Switzerland this weekend.

For weeks, the U.S. and China have been looking for ways to walk back from what were essentially tit-for-tat trade embargoes. The Chinese in late April sent the Trump administration questions seeking clarity on how the president wants China to crack down on trafficking of the chemical ingredients used to make fentanyl, the people said. In response, the White House gave Beijing a list of suggestions.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping's security czar, Wang Xiaohong, had privately expressed interest in further engaging with Trump officials to address the issue by potentially meeting with them in the U.S. or another country.

The Trump team's list included a request that Beijing send a strong message to those involved in trafficking the chemicals, known as precursors, according to the people familiar with the matter. Such messages could involve warnings of severe punishment. Precursors produced by Chinese companies, often sold over the internet, flow from China to criminal groups in Mexico and elsewhere that produce fentanyl and traffic it into the U.S.

Now both sides are readying for what will be the first direct talks over trade between senior officials on both sides during President Trump's second term.

"The United States has been clear about our expectations with regards to stopping the flow of chemical precursors from China to illicit drug producers in Mexico," National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt said. A White House spokesperson didn't respond to a request for comment.

A positive step