Scott Bessent optimistic China will boost response to fentanyl trade: ‘Upside surprise’

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressed optimism that Beijing will crack down on Chinese companies facilitating the illicit flow of fentanyl into the United States.

Over the weekend, the U.S. held talks with China in Geneva, Switzerland, that centered on lifting President Donald Trump’s steep tariffs on the country and addressing fentanyl trafficking. The U.S. temporarily slashed tariffs placed on China following the talks, while Bessent said Monday that the “upside surprise” for him after the meetings was the “level of Chinese engagement on the fentanyl crisis.”