In Canada, Joe Biden says he 'applauds China'; gaffe evokes laughter, ridicule from Oppn

Instead of praising Canada, US President Joe Biden mistakenly praised "China" during a speech to members of parliament in Ottawa. "Today, I applaud China for stepping up," said Biden in a speech to Canada’s parliament after he failed to name China when speaking on fentanyl smuggling. "Excuse me, I applaud Canada," he quickly added.

The 80-year-old President also said, "You can tell what I’m thinking about China. I won’t get into that yet," right after mixing up Canada and China.

Biden mistakenly praises ‘China’ instead of Canada

Biden made a gaffe while discussing how Canada's government agreed to accept more migrants from Latin American countries, immediately after not mentioning China at all while speaking on the rising illicit supply of fentanyl, which has its "roots around the globe" and is driving a surge in deaths caused due to overdose.

"We’re tackling the scourge of synthetic drugs that are devastating Canadian and American communities, particularly our young people. Fentanyl is a killer, and almost everyone knows someone who has been affected by this—who has lost a child or lost a friend," Biden said. During the address, Biden mentioned that fentanyl, which is a potent synthetic opioid drug, is shipped from overseas without revealing from where. He, however, mentioned that Mexico is used as a common transfer point en route to the US.

Mistakenly, Biden mixed up Canada and China while addressing Canadian lawmakers. "Canada and the United States are working closely with our partner in Mexico to attack this problem at every stage, from the precursor chemicals shipped from overseas to the powder to the pills to the traffickers moving into all of our countries," Biden said.

"And we all know, [the] synthetic opioid epidemic has its roots around the globe, not just here. So today, we’re announcing a commitment to build a new global coalition of like-minded countries led by Canada and the United States to tackle this crisis. This is about public health," he added.

It is pertinent to mention that Biden's low reaction to mentioning the fact that China is the main supplier of fentanyl contrasts with the approach of former President Donald Trump, who repeatedly said that he convinced the Chinese government to adopt the death penalty for exporters.

What is fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as an analgesic (pain relief) and anesthetic. It is only provided with a doctor's prescription. It is primarily used to treat severe pain and is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic.

The increasing supply of fentanyl from China is opening the doors for a wide variety of illegal drugs and counterfeit prescriptions, leading to more deaths due to overdose. According to the DEA, a fentanyl dose the size of roughly 10 grains of table salt can be lethal.