A growing number of experts and lawmakers believe that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is not only aware of the fentanyl crisis devastating American communities but is actively involved in fueling it. Yuan Hongbing, a former Chinese law professor and one of the most outspoken critics of the regime, says the CCP’s involvement in the fentanyl trade is intentional and strategic. According to Yuan, the export of fentanyl precursors from China is part of a larger campaign to weaken the United States from within.
Yuan Hongbing is a former professor at Peking University, one of China’s most prestigious institutions. He once had access to powerful figures within the CCP but later fled to Australia, where he now works to expose the party’s tactics and internal thinking. Yuan says he personally knew Xi Jinping when the Chinese leader was still a lower-level official. According to Yuan, they once drank together and discussed national affairs. Now, Yuan is sounding the alarm about what he sees as a quiet but deadly attack on the West.
Speaking to NTD, the sister media outlet of The Epoch Times, Yuan said, “The Chinese regime has played a significant role in America’s fentanyl crisis,” and emphasized that it is not simply a domestic American problem, as the CCP often claims. He revealed that “Xi has consistently given internal directives… that Beijing must maintain the narrative that the drug crises in both Europe and the United States are not linked to China.”
Yuan argues that the fentanyl epidemic is not accidental or unrelated to Chinese policy. Instead, he claims it is part of a long-term strategy by Xi Jinping to seek revenge for what the CCP views as a “century of humiliation” at the hands of Western powers. “It is precisely due to Xi’s directives that we are now seeing a dramatic increase in both the production of fentanyl precursors in China and the export of these chemicals, fueling the ongoing fentanyl crisis in the United States,” Yuan said.
How Fentanyl Enters the United States
The United States government has identified China as the leading source of chemical precursors used to make fentanyl. These chemicals are legally produced in China and exported to Mexico, where drug cartels turn them into fentanyl and then smuggle the drugs into the United States, mostly through the southern border.
While Chinese officials claim they are not responsible once the chemicals leave the country, recent investigations tell a different story. The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party released a report in early 2025 that detailed how the CCP subsidizes the production and export of these fentanyl precursors. The report states, “China has programs in place to reward companies with subsidies for exporting fentanyl and other drugs illegal under Chinese law to the United States.”
Some of these Chinese companies have received financial grants and official recognition from the government for their success in international trade, despite being linked to drug trafficking. According to the committee, state-owned enterprises, including a government-run prison, have direct ownership stakes in firms that export fentanyl-related chemicals.
The report also accuses Chinese officials of obstructing U.S. law enforcement. In several cases, the CCP allegedly tipped off Chinese companies under investigation by the United States, helping them avoid prosecution. Even though China cracks down on domestic drug use, it turns a blind eye to companies that export dangerous substances to foreign countries.
The Magnitude of the Crisis in the United States
The impact of fentanyl in the United States has been catastrophic. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is now responsible for more than 200 American deaths every single day. In 2023 alone, around 75,000 Americans died from fentanyl overdoses. That number represents a 23-fold increase from a decade earlier.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that accidental drug overdoses have become the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45. Although opioid-related deaths dropped by over 20 percent in 2024, the crisis is far from over.
The growing death toll has pushed fentanyl to the top of the American political agenda. Many voters now see it as a national security issue, not just a public health concern. As China expert Alexander Liao told The Epoch Times, “Whether it’s trade or other aspects, the United States and China have basically turned against each other.” He believes the fentanyl crisis is one of several fronts in a larger struggle between the two nations.
China’s Official Response
The Chinese government continues to deny that it plays any role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis. Officials have referred to the epidemic as America’s “own problem” and claim that the United States is using trade tariffs as “blackmail.” In March 2025, the Chinese Foreign Ministry posted on social media, “If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end.”
The Chinese position is that the production of fentanyl precursors is legal within its borders and that it cannot be held responsible for how those chemicals are used once exported. According to Yuan, this argument is a deliberate cover-up. He says the regime is not only aware of how the chemicals are used but is actively encouraging their export as a weapon against the West.
The U.S. Pushes Back
President Donald Trump has made combatting fentanyl a central issue of his second term. Declaring a national emergency over the continued trafficking of fentanyl, he imposed a 20 percent tariff on all goods made in China. In return, Beijing raised tariffs on American coal, natural gas, agricultural equipment, and pickup trucks.
Trump has called April 2 “liberation day,” the date when the U.S. plans to impose new tariffs to level the trade playing field. Meanwhile, members of Congress are introducing bipartisan legislation to address the crisis directly.
The Fentanyl Policy Working Group, part of the House Select Committee, has proposed three bills:
- The Joint Task Force to Counter Illicit Synthetic Narcotics Act of 2024 would create a federal task force to coordinate law enforcement and disrupt trafficking networks.
- The CCP Fentanyl Sanctions Act would expand sanctions to include Chinese chemical companies, online marketplaces, and even vessels or ports that help ship illegal drugs.
- The International Protection from PRC Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids Act would impose civil penalties on Chinese shippers that fail to follow transparency and compliance requirements.
“These bipartisan efforts reflect the resolve of this committee and Congress to confront this crisis head-on,” said Congressman Ritchie Torres. Congressman Jake Auchincloss added, “Dismantling the fentanyl supply chain starts at the source.”
A Strategic War on America?
According to both Yuan and Liao, the fentanyl crisis is not just about drug money or crime. It fits into the Chinese Communist Party’s long-term vision of challenging the United States for global leadership. Liao explains that Xi Jinping sees the West, especially the U.S., as the main force behind China’s past humiliation and current obstacles. The Belt and Road Initiative, which uses infrastructure development to extend Chinese influence globally, is just one part of this larger plan.
Yuan says Xi’s ultimate goal is to “replace the United States as the underwriter and enforcer of the world order.” He believes that the CCP’s actions, including its role in the fentanyl trade, are meant to weaken America economically, socially, and politically. The more the U.S. struggles with addiction, overdoses, and social breakdown, the stronger China appears by comparison. According to Yuan, Xi interprets the fentanyl crisis as proof that “the East is rising, the West is declining.”
This belief, along with economic tensions and military rivalries, is setting the two countries on what Yuan calls an “inevitable” path of confrontation. “It is not a temporary conflict sparked by a single event,” he said. “The confrontation is fundamental and unavoidable, driven by larger, long-term forces.”
