Washington: US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that China has agreed to stop the trade of fentanyl to the United States, a significant development amidst increasing pressure to tackle the opioid crisis.

According to Anadolu Agency, Trump declared during a press conference at the White House, "We're charging them a 20% tariff for the fact that they send fentanyl into our country, and they've agreed that they're going to stop that." He further explained that China would be rewarded for this agreement by not having to pay "hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs."

Trump has consistently pointed fingers at China, alongside Canada and Mexico, accusing them of being the main sources of fentanyl trafficking into the United States. In response, his administration imposed a 20% tariff on China, specifically citing the influx of drugs, particularly fentanyl, into the country.

Washington has made it clear that these tariffs will remain in place until the countries in question "cooperate fully" with the US in efforts to combat drug trafficking. Trump has previously accused China of being responsible for manufacturing and supplying a large portion of the drugs contributing to over 100,000 deaths in the past year.