Under strained circumstances, Biden, Xi scheduled to talk trade
PBS NewsHourOCT 28 2023
Report: Biden, Xi to Announce Deal to Crack Down on Fentanyl
Image copyright: Win McNamee/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
After years of allowing the flow of precursor chemicals to Mexican cartels to fuel the fentanyl crisis that has decimated multiple American cities, Xi Jinping has apparently agreed to clean his own mess. And while this agreement is certainly a positive breakthrough, it's vital to understand that Beijing will stop enforcing the fentanyl deal if Washington ever criticizes Xi or the Chinese Communist Party.
Pro-China narrative
Hopefully, the US seems to have come to its senses after unreasonably imposing sanctions on Chinese institutions and individuals that were allegedly connected to the US homemade fentanyl crisis. Progress was made when both countries cooperated in good faith, so it would be great news if Washington finally decided to restore cooperation in the arena of drug control.