https://www.scmp.com/rss/500465/feed Fentanyl, also spelled fentanil, is an opioid that is intended to be used as a pain reliever and anaesthetic, but which has become popular as a recreational drug, leading to mass addictions in the US and elsewhere. Production of fentanyl has taken place in China and other countries, but has come under scrutiny by several national governments, including Beijing, which on April 1, 2019, announced a ban on production of all variants of fentanyl. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Viral “zombie vape” videos of young Malaysian men appearing dazed and disoriented after vaping have intensified concern that drug-laced liquids are spreading through the country’s booming e-cigarette market. The clips, shared widely on social media over the past month, showed local men slumped on the ground or behaving erratically after allegedly inhaling piu-piu or piao-piao (online slang for drug-laced vape liquids). At least two viral cases triggered arrests and fresh police warnings... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3354205/malaysia-drug-laced-vape-seizures-stoke-us-zombie-epidemic-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3354205/malaysia-drug-laced-vape-seizures-stoke-us-zombie-epidemic-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 May 2026 06:57:49 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Utah mother who published a children’s book about grief after the death of her husband will serve a life sentence without the possibility of parole for his murder, a judge ruled on Wednesday. Kouri Richins was convicted in March of aggravated murder for lacing her husband Eric Richins’ cocktail with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl at their home near Park City in 2022. A jury also found her guilty of four other felonies, including insurance fraud, forgery and attempted murder for trying... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3353482/us-woman-who-wrote-book-husbands-death-gets-life-sentence-his-murder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3353482/us-woman-who-wrote-book-husbands-death-gets-life-sentence-his-murder?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2026 21:11:35 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Mexico’s most powerful criminal enterprise, suffered another blow on Monday when the Mexican military captured one of its top leaders in the northwest of the country, two months after the cartel’s leader was killed. Audias Flores Silva, also known as “El Jardinero”, or The Gardener, was seen as a possible successor to the killed leader and the United States had a US$5 million reward out for information leading to his arrest. The CJNG regional commander was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3351654/mexico-captures-top-cartel-leader-el-jardinero-hiding-roadside-ditch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3351654/mexico-captures-top-cartel-leader-el-jardinero-hiding-roadside-ditch?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 05:13:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters Mexican ⁠President Claudia Sheinbaum and Spain’s Pedro Sanchez ⁠met in Barcelona on Saturday after a summit of progressive leaders, signalling a rapprochement during the first presidential visit to the Mediterranean country in eight years. The meeting took place during Sheinbaum’s visit to Barcelona to attend the fourth “In defence of democracy” summit, a gathering ‌of global leftist leaders to mobilise advocates of these movements against the far-right. Sheinbaum’s trip marks a softening of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3350597/mexico-mends-ties-spain-first-presidential-visit-8-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3350597/mexico-mends-ties-spain-first-presidential-visit-8-years?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:30:23 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai A Chinese fugitive suspected of drug-related crimes has been repatriated from the United States and handed to police in China, the first such case in years, according to state media. The suspect was returned to China by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) via cooperation channels between the two countries, based on information provided by Chinese narcotics control authorities, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday, citing the Ministry of Public Security. The Chinese national,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348926/beijing-hails-us-cooperation-ice-returns-suspected-drug-smuggler-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348926/beijing-hails-us-cooperation-ice-returns-suspected-drug-smuggler-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 08:00:11 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai China this week announced a major crackdown on fentanyl precursors, a move widely seen as a gesture of goodwill ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned visit. But analysts warned that while this might address one major US grievance, it remained to be seen whether the United States would reciprocate and help the two sides move on to tackling other serious disputes, such as tariffs. The crackdown in the central province of Hubei started in December and included a raid on a company in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347368/china-offers-us-olive-branch-fentanyl-raids-ahead-possible-trump-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347368/china-offers-us-olive-branch-fentanyl-raids-ahead-possible-trump-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:27:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Utah woman was convicted on Monday of aggravated murder after poisoning her husband with fentanyl and self-publishing a children’s book about coping with grief. Prosecutors said Kouri Richins slipped five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid into a cocktail that her husband Eric Richins drank in March 2022 at their home outside the affluent ski town of Park City. They said she was US$4.5 million in debt and falsely believed that when her husband died, she would inherit his estate... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346836/us-grief-author-convicted-murdering-husband-lethal-fentanyl-dose?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346836/us-grief-author-convicted-murdering-husband-lethal-fentanyl-dose?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 04:36:46 +0000 Reuters Reuters The United States and China traded barbs at a ⁠UN drugs meeting on ⁠Monday, with Washington accusing Beijing of ⁠failing to stop sales of precursor chemicals for fentanyl and China dismissing the allegation as false while calling the US irresponsible. The exchange, delivered in separate statements at the UN’s annual Commission on Narcotic Drugs meeting in Vienna, underscored tensions ‌between the two countries over illicit drugs and tariffs, with their leaders due to meet in China at the end of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346020/us-and-china-clash-over-fentanyl-and-tariffs-global-drugs-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346020/us-and-china-clash-over-fentanyl-and-tariffs-global-drugs-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 17:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Latin American nations to use military power against the “cancer” of drug cartels and offered to support them with US missile strikes targeting narco kingpins. Trump, currently waging a war with Iran, laid out a muscular position for advancing Washington’s interests in the western hemisphere, pronouncing that communist-led Cuba was “in its last moments of life” and advocating tough action by allies against organised crime blighting the region. He... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345839/trump-offers-latin-american-leaders-us-missile-strikes-hit-drug-cartels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345839/trump-offers-latin-american-leaders-us-missile-strikes-hit-drug-cartels?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 17:46:34 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A girlfriend of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel who was killed by the Mexican military, was key to finding him in Tapalpa, a picturesque village of holiday homes in western Mexico. The 59-year-old Oseguera, nicknamed “El Mencho”, was wounded in a clash with soldiers on Sunday and died while being airlifted to hospital. The operation was launched when Mexican military intelligence agents, supported by the US military’s Northern Command, learned... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3344409/how-rendezvous-girlfriend-led-violent-end-mexicos-most-wanted-drug-kingpin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3344409/how-rendezvous-girlfriend-led-violent-end-mexicos-most-wanted-drug-kingpin?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 04:23:29 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A day after the Mexican army killed the country’s most powerful drug lord, the picturesque town where it happened was a study in contrasts. Tourist shops in Tapalpa were open Monday, and workers were on the job. But gunshots also rang out, and in the street was a dead man lying beside a bullet-pocked vehicle. Meanwhile, heavily armed Mexican security forces kept up their battle with cartel gunmen following the killing that sparked a surge in violence and put the country on edge. Cartel fighters... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3344389/73-people-died-attempt-capture-mexican-cartel-leader-and-its-violent-aftermath-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3344389/73-people-died-attempt-capture-mexican-cartel-leader-and-its-violent-aftermath-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 23:57:49 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Prosecutors portrayed a Utah mother and children’s book author as a money-hungry killer Monday on the first day of a murder trial in her husband’s death, while her defence team urged jurors not to make judgments before hearing her side. Kouri Richins, 35, faces a slew of charges for allegedly killing her husband, Eric Richins, with fentanyl in March 2022 at their home just outside the ski town of Park City. She has vehemently denied the allegations. Prosecutors say she slipped five times the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344387/us-author-childrens-book-grief-killed-husband-his-money-court-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344387/us-author-childrens-book-grief-killed-husband-his-money-court-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 22:30:29 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho”, on Sunday, decapitating what had become Mexico’s most powerful drug cartel and thrusting swaths of the nation into chaos. The drug lord was the Mexican government’s biggest prize yet to show the Trump administration in its efforts to crack down on the cartels, and his death was met with a forceful reaction from the cartel, known by its Spanish initials CJNG. Cars burned out by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3344279/mexican-army-kills-leader-jalisco-new-generation-cartel-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3344279/mexican-army-kills-leader-jalisco-new-generation-cartel-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 18:43:54 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazilian prosecutors and police launched an extensive crackdown on a Chinese electronics distribution network accused of laundering more than one billion reais (US$190 million) over seven months through a system allegedly related to one of Latin America’s most powerful crime syndicates. The Primeiro Comando da Capital, or PCC, syndicate allegedly sold imported consumer electronics throughout Brazil via a Chinese e-commerce platform called “Knup Brasil”, including mobile phone chargers,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3343545/brazil-breaks-china-linked-us190m-money-laundering-ring-tied-top-crime-syndicate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3343545/brazil-breaks-china-linked-us190m-money-laundering-ring-tied-top-crime-syndicate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 18:32:56 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang China has highlighted its success in joint law enforcement with the US, with state media publishing a rare report on a drugs-related money laundering case triggered by a tip-off from American authorities. Two men were sentenced in September in the case spanning both nations, the People’s Daily reported last week. This comes amid renewed US-China momentum against drug crimes, showcasing steady bilateral progress in anti-narcotics enforcement. Officers in Shenyang, in northeast China’s Liaoning... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3337299/china-praises-joint-effort-us-after-pair-sentenced-drug-related-money-laundering?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3337299/china-praises-joint-effort-us-after-pair-sentenced-drug-related-money-laundering?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 07:15:12 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order (EO) designating illicit fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid driving the US overdose crisis, as a weapon of mass destruction. The EO issued by the White House asserted that “illicit fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic” due to its extreme potency. “Two milligrams, an almost undetectable trace amount equivalent to 10 to 15 grains of table salt, constitutes a lethal dose,” it said. The order highlights the national... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3336550/no-bomb-does-what-doing-trump-calls-fentanyl-weapon-mass-destruction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3336550/no-bomb-does-what-doing-trump-calls-fentanyl-weapon-mass-destruction?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 21:49:47 +0000 Igor Patrick,Robert Delaney Igor Patrick,Robert Delaney Lawmakers from both parties are warning that Chinese criminal groups have helped build what officials call a “Silk Road of crime”, a global network that launders Latin American cartel profits and supplies the chemicals used to make fentanyl bound for the United States. At a Senate hearing on Tuesday, members of the Caucus on International Narcotics Control said Chinese money brokers and Latin American cartels have merged their operations into a system that blurs the line between trade and... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3335821/us-senators-warn-china-cartel-links-forming-global-silk-road-crime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3335821/us-senators-warn-china-cartel-links-forming-global-silk-road-crime?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 23:21:36 +0000 Rupert Stone Rupert Stone Much has been written about China’s alleged role in the US opioid crisis. Chemicals from Chinese suppliers have supposedly been used by Mexican cartels to produce fentanyl, which is then trafficked into the United States where it has fuelled a deadly overdose crisis. Successive US administrations have pressured Beijing to crack down on its chemical industry. China has taken repeated steps to regulate precursors, including most recently last month when it restricted 13 new chemicals at US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335067/americas-opioid-crisis-wont-be-solved-without-indias-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335067/americas-opioid-crisis-wont-be-solved-without-indias-help?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 21:30:09 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen Beijing has tightened controls over fentanyl precursors destined for countries in North America following the recent summit in South Korea between the US and Chinese presidents. The Ministry of Commerce announced on Monday that China would make adjustments to the catalogue of drug-related precursor chemicals and require licences for the export of certain chemicals to the United States, Canada and Mexico. Specifically, exports of 13 chemicals to the three countries now require a permit, according... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332240/china-tightens-controls-fentanyl-precursors-bound-us-canada-and-mexico?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332240/china-tightens-controls-fentanyl-precursors-bound-us-canada-and-mexico?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 13:08:11 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump on Tuesday formally halved US tariffs on Chinese goods linked to the fentanyl crisis. In a move long sought by Beijing and sealed after months of tense negotiations, Trump also warned that the tariff relief could be reversed if China fails to deliver on its commitments. The reduction – from 20 per cent to 10 per cent, effective 12.01am on November 10, Washington time – comes after China agreed during a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331547/trump-signs-order-lower-fentanyl-related-tariffs-targeting-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331547/trump-signs-order-lower-fentanyl-related-tariffs-targeting-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 23:35:51 +0000 Alice Li,Ralph Jennings Alice Li,Ralph Jennings With the US cutting its tariffs on Chinese imports by 10 per cent – halving a duty initially imposed by Washington over allegations of complicity in the fentanyl trade – analysts said the reduction may further strengthen the competitiveness of Chinese exporters, particularly in mass-produced goods. Following a meeting on Thursday between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in South Korea, the world’s two largest economies reached a consensus on the issue, with the US agreeing to... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331116/cuts-us-fentanyl-tariffs-help-chinese-exporters-close-gap-competition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331116/cuts-us-fentanyl-tariffs-help-chinese-exporters-close-gap-competition?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 22:00:13 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier After months of threats, chest-thumping and uncertainty, the world breathed a collective sigh of relief on Thursday after a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping teased at least temporary relief on a host of bilateral trade irritants. Even as Trump gained headlines and short-term “wins” involving soy purchases and fentanyl ingredients, analysts said Xi gained ground in some more fundamental areas – including recognition of its rare-earth leverage and some... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3330959/trump-xi-strike-truce-soybean-deal-and-tiktok-nod-bessent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3330959/trump-xi-strike-truce-soybean-deal-and-tiktok-nod-bessent?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Oct 2025 14:24:52 +0000 Kandy Wong,Alice Li Kandy Wong,Alice Li With the US threatening to leverage its software strengths ahead of fresh trade talks with China in response to its recent export controls on rare earths, analysts say Beijing is unlikely to make major concessions, though progress could be made on issues such as soybeans or fentanyl. Washington is reportedly considering imposing curbs on a range of software-powered exports to China – from laptops to jet engines – according to Reuters, following a threat by US President Donald Trump earlier this... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3330099/why-us-china-trade-talks-malaysia-are-crucial-paving-way-xi-trump-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3330099/why-us-china-trade-talks-malaysia-are-crucial-paving-way-xi-trump-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Chinese national who United States authorities accused of trafficking large quantities of cocaine and fentanyl into the US before being arrested and then escaping custody in Mexico was recaptured in Cuba, Mexican authorities said on Wednesday. Zhi Dong Zhang, alias “Brother Wang”, was indicted in federal court in Atlanta in 2022 on drug trafficking and money laundering charges. Mexican authorities captured him in Mexico City in October 2024 at the request of the US government. But a judge... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330006/cuba-captures-brother-wang-alleged-chinese-drug-trafficker-who-escaped-mexico?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330006/cuba-captures-brother-wang-alleged-chinese-drug-trafficker-who-escaped-mexico?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 03:25:19 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The two survivors of an American military strike on a suspected drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean will be sent to Ecuador and Colombia, their home countries, US President Donald Trump said on Saturday. The military rescued the pair after striking a submersible vessel on Thursday, in what was at least the sixth such attack since early September. “It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE that was navigating towards the United States on a well known narcotrafficking... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329543/us-send-survivors-strike-suspected-drug-vessel-back-ecuador-and-colombia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329543/us-send-survivors-strike-suspected-drug-vessel-back-ecuador-and-colombia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Oct 2025 22:18:15 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump on Friday signalled he may still meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping later this month on the sidelines of a multilateral forum in South Korea, even as he announced an additional tariff of 100 per cent on all Chinese imports, on top of levies already in place – doubling down on his tough trade stance. “I haven’t cancelled, but I don’t know that we’re going to have it, but I’m going to be there regardless. So I would assume we might have it,” Trump told reporters in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3328601/trump-threatens-cancel-meeting-xi-amid-rare-earth-trade-clash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3328601/trump-threatens-cancel-meeting-xi-amid-rare-earth-trade-clash?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Oct 2025 15:18:40 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on China are unlikely to ease, despite ongoing talks towards a comprehensive deal targeted for November, according to two people familiar with the matter. The US seems “very comfortable” with the current rate of tariffs, the sources said, adding that the recent negotiations have mostly revolved around “broader” issues like TikTok, subsidies, trade deficit and export controls since the Trump administration remains focused on collecting revenues to fix the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3327555/trumps-china-tariffs-seen-status-quo-amid-tiktok-talks-other-issues-ahead-apec?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3327555/trumps-china-tariffs-seen-status-quo-amid-tiktok-talks-other-issues-ahead-apec?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 17:33:57 +0000 Yanzhong Huang Yanzhong Huang Last month, I joined a US think tank delegation to China, participating in a round table at a top university in Beijing. A remark by a leading professor of diplomacy struck me: “If China and the US can’t cooperate on health issues, they can’t cooperate on others.” His words underscore the dire state of bilateral relations. Even during peak Cold War tensions, public health challenges such as polio and smallpox transcended geopolitical rivalries and forged unlikely alliances. Yet between 2017 and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3326268/why-us-china-health-and-drugs-cooperation-must-top-trump-xi-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3326268/why-us-china-health-and-drugs-cooperation-must-top-trump-xi-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 12:30:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Chinese company executive has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for trafficking in chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl, the US Justice Department said on Friday. Wang Qingzhou, 37, principal executive of Amarvel Biotech, a company based in Wuhan, and Chen Yiyi, 33, the firm’s marketing manager, were convicted in New York in February of fentanyl precusor importation and money laundering. District Judge Paul Gardephe sentenced Wang to 25 years in prison on Friday. Chen was sentenced to 15... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3326226/chinese-exec-gets-25-years-jail-us-trafficking-fentanyl-ingredients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3326226/chinese-exec-gets-25-years-jail-us-trafficking-fentanyl-ingredients?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2025 23:36:18 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen The United States and China found a rare common ground in their trade talks in Madrid this week, agreeing to work together to crack down on money laundering from illegal fentanyl sales. After the talks ended on Monday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said both nations suffered the consequences of the money laundering from the trade. “The money laundering is the result of fentanyl sales, and both the People’s Republic of China’s government and the US government and citizens are hurt by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325882/china-and-us-agree-target-money-launderers-linked-fentanyl-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325882/china-and-us-agree-target-money-launderers-linked-fentanyl-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 12:00:17 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Xiaofei Xu,Ji Siqi Khushboo Razdan,Xiaofei Xu,Ji Siqi China has confirmed that a framework agreement has been reached with the United States on resolving TikTok-related issues, while stressing that the “hard-won” results should not be accompanied by continued “suppression” of Chinese companies. “The two sides held candid and in-depth exchanges and reached a basic framework consensus on properly resolving relevant issues concerning TikTok through cooperation, on reducing barriers to investment and on promoting relevant trade and economic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325628/trump-teases-possible-deal-tiktok-plans-call-xi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325628/trump-teases-possible-deal-tiktok-plans-call-xi?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 12:37:25 +0000 Reuters Reuters Homeland ministers from Britain, the United States and the other “Five Eyes” alliance will announce new measures this week to increase border security and target people smugglers, newly appointed British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said on Sunday. The ministers from the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network – the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – will meet in London on Monday and Tuesday, Britain’s Home Office said, with measures to “smash criminal smuggling gangs” the focus... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324674/five-eyes-ministers-discuss-targeting-people-smugglers-uk-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324674/five-eyes-ministers-discuss-targeting-people-smugglers-uk-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Sep 2025 20:37:14 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li China has slapped American fibre-optic firms with anti-dumping tariffs – a move announced hours after the US Treasury imposed sanctions on a Guangzhou-based chemical firm, over fentanyl claims. The duties, ranging from 33.3 to 78.2 per cent, went into immediate effect and are to remain in place until April 2028, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday in an online statement. Specifically, OFS Fitel faces a 33.3 per cent tariff, Corning a 37.9 per cent levy, and Draka Communications Americas,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3324303/china-targets-us-fibre-optic-firms-after-washington-sanctions-chemical-producer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3324303/china-targets-us-fibre-optic-firms-after-washington-sanctions-chemical-producer?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 07:00:11 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen The United States on Wednesday sanctioned a Chinese chemical company that it alleges is manufacturing and coordinating shipments of illicit opioids, such as fentanyl, and chemical agents into the country. The move comes amid recent stepped-up moves in Washington to target China on the fentanyl issue despite stabilising bilateral ties. A Treasury Department statement said sanctions have been placed on Guangzhou Tengyue Chemical, based in China’s southern Guangdong province, and two of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3324252/us-sanctions-chinas-guangzhou-tengyue-chemical-alleged-fentanyl-trafficking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3324252/us-sanctions-chinas-guangzhou-tengyue-chemical-alleged-fentanyl-trafficking?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 20:49:34 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han A bipartisan bill that would impose sanctions on Chinese officials who intentionally avoid taking action to prevent the trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids passed the US House of Representatives on Tuesday. The proposed Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act passed 407-4 on lawmakers’ first day back in Washington following a month-long recess, with only a few Democrats opposing it. This comes as the two countries are preparing for their next round of trade talks, to be held before November 10... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3324116/bill-sanction-chinese-officials-who-avoid-action-fentanyl-passes-us-house?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3324116/bill-sanction-chinese-officials-who-avoid-action-fentanyl-passes-us-house?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 23:35:18 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier The administration of US President Donald Trump called on American banks and other financial institutions Thursday to step up monitoring of suspected Chinese money-laundering networks it says fuel fentanyl addiction in the United States. The advisory highlighted how informal Chinese money-laundering operations work in a symbiotic relationship with the Jalisco New Generation, Sinaloa, Gulf and other Mexican drug cartels to effectively bypass financial safeguards. “Money-laundering networks linked... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323545/trump-urges-banks-flag-chinese-money-laundering-linked-fentanyl-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323545/trump-urges-banks-flag-chinese-money-laundering-linked-fentanyl-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Aug 2025 14:01:12 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall A team of Japanese scientists has developed a new painkiller they say is as effective as fentanyl but without its addictive properties, a breakthrough that could reshape the fight against the global opioid crisis if clinical trials succeed. The team from Kyoto University has been working on the project for 13 years, with phase one clinical trials already proving successful and phase two trials due to start soon. Masatoshi Hagiwara, a professor of pharmaceutical medicine at the university, hopes... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3323377/japanese-scientists-non-addictive-painkiller-offers-hope-combating-opioid-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3323377/japanese-scientists-non-addictive-painkiller-offers-hope-combating-opioid-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Aug 2025 02:30:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Former Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada pleaded guilty on Monday to US drug trafficking charges, saying he was sorry for helping to flood the United States with cocaine, heroin and other illicit substances and for fuelling deadly violence in Mexico. “I recognise the great harm illegal drugs have done to the people in the United States and Mexico,” he said through a Spanish-language interpreter. “I apologise for all of it and I take responsibility for my actions.” Under the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323115/long-elusive-mexican-drug-lord-el-mayo-pleads-guilty-us-drug-trafficking-charges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323115/long-elusive-mexican-drug-lord-el-mayo-pleads-guilty-us-drug-trafficking-charges?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2025 19:12:31 +0000 Reuters Reuters US trade officials will meet again with their Chinese counterparts within the next two or three months to discuss the future of the economic relationship between the two countries, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday. The comments come a day after the trading partners extended a tariff truce for another 90 days, staving off triple-digit duties on each other’s goods. In an interview on Fox Business Network’s Kudlow, Bessent also said Chinese President Xi Jinping had invited Trump to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3321641/us-and-chinese-trade-teams-meet-2-3-months-trumps-treasury-chief-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3321641/us-and-chinese-trade-teams-meet-2-3-months-trumps-treasury-chief-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Aug 2025 21:05:46 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The United States will enter a 90-day negotiating period with Mexico over trade as 25 per cent tariff rates stay in place, part of the rush of trade activity on Thursday before US President Donald Trump plans to impose a broad set of global import taxes starting on Friday. Trump posted on social media that his phone conversation with Mexican leader Claudia Sheinbaum was “very successful in that, more and more, we are getting to know and understand each other”. The Republican president had... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3320339/trump-announces-90-day-negotiating-period-mexico-25-tariff-rates-stay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3320339/trump-announces-90-day-negotiating-period-mexico-25-tariff-rates-stay?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 15:54:00 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma United States and Chinese trade negotiators are expected to extend their tariff truce by an additional three months in two days of talks in Stockholm which begin on Monday, the South China Morning Post reported exclusively. A 90-day extension would push the original August 12 deadline to mid-November. In the interim, both sides are expected to commit to not imposing additional tariffs on the other or escalating their trade war by any other means, one source told the Post. President Donald Trump... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3319838/swede-success-expected-us-china-tariff-truce-extension?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3319838/swede-success-expected-us-china-tariff-truce-extension?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 09:00:30 +0000 Sun Chenghao Sun Chenghao I recently travelled to Washington and New York, where I held in-depth discussions with a range of people from the strategic, academic and business communities on China-US relations. These conversations gave me a more nuanced understanding of both the current dynamics and the potential trajectory of bilateral ties in the next phase. A key takeaway is that while there is consensus within the Trump administration that the US is engaged in a strategic competition with China, its approach is highly... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3319004/why-i-am-hopeful-about-us-china-ties-despite-trumps-tariff-tangle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3319004/why-i-am-hopeful-about-us-china-ties-despite-trumps-tariff-tangle?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jul 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Alice Li,Kandy Wong Alice Li,Kandy Wong The trafficking of materials to make the drug fentanyl – the issue cited by the US in its initial tariff escalation against China in March – is set to be back in focus for future talks, analysts said, after two previous rounds did not appear to broach the subject. Speculation over the drug’s presence in future negotiations was fuelled by US President Donald Trump’s remarks on the topic Wednesday, making reference to China’s “big steps” – including the threat of the death penalty for smugglers –... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3318620/fentanyl-likely-us-china-trade-agenda-after-long-absence-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3318620/fentanyl-likely-us-china-trade-agenda-after-long-absence-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 22:00:10 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma US President Donald Trump said that China is “making big steps” in the fight against fentanyl trafficking, extending a softer tone towards the country as the two sides work towards a trade deal. “I think China has been helping out,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday. “You know that they’re being penalised with tariffs because of the fentanyl, but they want to do something.” Trump’s shift on fentanyl – an opioid that has caused tens of thousands of US deaths – comes after his... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3318559/trump-makes-nice-china-trade-war-deadline-nears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3318559/trump-makes-nice-china-trade-war-deadline-nears?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 09:00:10 +0000 Robert Delaney Robert Delaney US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Beijing is “making big steps” in efforts to control the flow of fentanyl, an issue that the American leader has used to justify tariffs that he has slapped on imports from China. “I think China has been helping out,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I mean, it’s been a terrible situation for many years with fentanyl, but since I came here, we’re talking to them, and they’re making big steps ... You know that they’re being penalised with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3318500/trump-says-beijing-making-big-steps-controlling-fentanyl?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3318500/trump-says-beijing-making-big-steps-controlling-fentanyl?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jul 2025 20:48:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters A son of imprisoned Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman pleaded guilty on Friday to four criminal counts in two related drug-trafficking cases targeting the notorious Sinaloa Cartel. Ovidio Guzman Lopez, 35, pleaded guilty to two counts of drug distribution and two counts of participation in a continuing criminal enterprise before US District Judge Sharon Coleman in Chicago. He faces a possible life sentence. Prosecutors allege Ovidio Guzman Lopez and his brothers – known as the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3317949/el-chapos-son-ovidio-guzman-lopez-pleads-guilty-us-drug-charges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3317949/el-chapos-son-ovidio-guzman-lopez-pleads-guilty-us-drug-charges?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jul 2025 20:03:29 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Four decapitated bodies were found hanging from a bridge in the capital of western Mexico’s Sinaloa state on Monday, part of a surge of cartel violence that killed 20 people in less than a day, authorities said. A bloody war for control between two factions of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel has turned the city of Culiacan into an epicentre of cartel violence since the conflict exploded last year between the two groups: Los Chapitos and La Mayiza. Dead bodies appear scattered across Culiacan on a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3316446/cartel-violence-sinaloa-mexico-leaves-20-dead-including-4-decapitated-bodies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3316446/cartel-violence-sinaloa-mexico-leaves-20-dead-including-4-decapitated-bodies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jun 2025 22:04:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on Los Chapitos, a faction of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, labelling it a Specially Designated Global Terrorist as US President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to tackle cross-border drug trafficking. The US Treasury Department in a statement said it designated Los Chapitos under illicit drug and terrorism authorities, accusing it of facilitating trafficking and production of fentanyl, the lethally potent opioid. Two of its fugitive leaders, both... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3313760/us-imposes-sanctions-los-chapitos-faction-mexicos-sinaloa-cartel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3313760/us-imposes-sanctions-los-chapitos-faction-mexicos-sinaloa-cartel?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Jun 2025 18:02:38 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. His Asian-American ancestor defined birthright citizenship. He fights to save it Few Americans knew of Norman Wong, a 75-year-old retired carpenter living quietly in Brentwood, California, until a presidential executive order transformed him into an unlikely symbol of a new national battle... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3312749/china-and-russias-nuclear-vow-trumps-golden-dome-7-us-china-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3312749/china-and-russias-nuclear-vow-trumps-golden-dome-7-us-china-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Jun 2025 15:45:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Mexicans vote on Sunday in the country’s first ever judicial elections, part of an overhaul of the nation’s judiciary that critics warn could jeopardise the rule of law. The vote will elect 2,600 judges and magistrates, including all Supreme Court justices, and is part of a reform pushed by former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his protégé and successor President Claudia Sheinbaum. Lopez Obrador and Sheinbaum say the election will root out corruption in a flawed judiciary dominated by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3312650/mexico-votes-judges-amid-el-chapo-scandal-and-rule-law-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3312650/mexico-votes-judges-amid-el-chapo-scandal-and-rule-law-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Jun 2025 10:29:55 +0000