US President Donald Trump has slapped new tariffs on Chinese goods, partly in response to Beijing's alleged role in a deadly opioid epidemic in the United States.

Washington has long accused Beijing of turning a blind eye to the deadly fentanyl trade, which US authorities estimate caused tens of thousands of deaths a year. China denies responsibility.

Here AFP looks at where the issue currently stands:

The United States is facing an epidemic of deaths caused by fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more powerful than heroin and much easier and cheaper to produce.

US officials have said it is now the leading cause of death among people aged 18 to 45.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency has accused China of being "the main source for all fentanyl-related substances trafficked into the United States".

While the Congressional Research Service acknowledged last year that direct supplies of the drug from China had been stemmed by stricter controls from Beijing in 2019, it said the move had simply shifted the supply lines.

Rather than the drugs being supplied directly via international courier services, it said, chemical components are instead shipped from China to Mexico, where they are then made into........

© International Business Times