The US has made it clear to China that failing to coordinate on the fentanyl issue comes at a cost, according to Nicholas Burns, America’s former ambassador to Beijing.

The U.S. is "smearing and shifting blame onto China" over the fentanyl issue, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry said, after the Trump Administration had hailed the progress made with Beijing on the crisis at trade talks in Geneva.

China has pushed back against the United States decision to impose punitive tariffs over the ongoing fentanyl crisis, saying the responsibility lies squarely with Washington. During a regular press briefing on Tuesday,