Trump to discuss fentanyl crisis with China’s Xi Jinping at summit

President Donald Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One on the final leg of his Asia trip en route to South Korea and expressed confidence in his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of their meeting at an economic summit.

Asked about U.S. efforts to curb fentanyl trafficking, Trump said the issue would be at the center of his talks with Xi.

Ahead of his meeting with the Chinese leader, Trump said he hoped for progress on “a lot of issues,” including fentanyl smuggling, trade and tariffs.

Trump told reporters, “China will work with me, okay?” he said. “They will work with me and I believe we will make something happen.”

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Trump said that the issue will be an important topic of discussion at the next meeting.

“We need to have the meeting; a meeting tomorrow. It’s a big meeting,” he said. “And fentanyl will be one of the things we discuss. Farmers will discuss a lot of things, but fentanyl will be one of the things we discuss.”

Trump stated that the fentanyl crisis and drug smuggling at the southern border are directly linked, describing them as a “tremendous amount of deaths.”

“We’ve had a tremendous amount of deaths. I call them death boats,” he said. “Under Biden and open borders, things were flowing. I think they killed 300,000 people last year; fentanyl drugs were coming through the southern border. And now nobody can get past that. We’re very tough on the border.”

Border Patrol agents and a special operations group member from the Texas Ranger Division seized 297 pounds of marijuana following a drug bust at the Mexico-U.S. border in the Rio Grande Valley sector near McAllen, Texas. (Loren Elliott/Reuters)

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Trump said his policies have resulted in a sharp reduction in illicit drug smuggling by sea, saying it has “decreased by approximately 80% by water.”

He also praised U.S. law enforcement and border agents for their efforts, saying: “Our border agents, our Border Patrol agents, have been amazing. ICE – these people do a great job with what they do.”

Attendees applaud as U.S. President Donald Trump makes remarks during the APEC CEOs Luncheon at the Gyeongju Arts Center in Gyeongju, South Korea, on October 29, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

During his visit, Trump also touched on international security issues, including the Israel-Hamas conflict and North Korea’s recent missile launches. He said he expects his meeting with Xi to be productive, adding, “I think we’ll get a great meeting with President Xi of China. And a lot of problems are going to be solved.”

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Trump’s comments underscored his push to combine border security and international cooperation as key priorities ahead of his meeting with Xi.