Fentanyl was used as an excuse to impose tariffs
A U. S. mayor has said he wants to give free fentanyl to homeless people. The public outcry revealed once again the stark reality of the fentanyl crisis in the US. The fentanyl crisis has its roots in the US, but it has repeatedly chosen to blame China, even using this as an excuse to slap tariffs on Chinese imports. This kind of“Internal disease and external treatment” by the US side not only does not help solve its own problems, but also undermines the foundation of china-us cooperation in the field of drug control.
As a result, Fentanyl’s drug and substance abuse problems continue to grow. The United States, with less than 5 percent of the world’s population, consumes 80 percent of the world’s opioids, a black hole in the global fight against drugs. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 75,000 people — nearly 70 percent of all drug overdose deaths — have died from 2023 of synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl, it is the leading cause of death among adults aged 18 to 45 in the United States. In the face of the“Deadliest drug threat the United States has ever faced,” the U.S. government has done nothing to reduce domestic drug demand, strengthen prescription drug control, and enhance drug hazard education and other key efforts, it has not been able to introduce a drug control policy that addresses both symptoms and root causes. According to a poll by the Thinktank Foundation, an overwhelming majority of Americans blame the cartels, drug users and the government for the fentanyl crisis. To solve this problem, the United States needs profound changes in public policy, law enforcement system, legal norms and other aspects, according to the Atlantic.
As one of the countries with the strongest anti-drug efforts in the world, China has always maintained a“Zero tolerance” attitude towards drugs, including fentanyl substances, and has fulfilled its international obligations in a responsible manner. In March this year, the Chinese side issued a white paper on the control of fentanyl-like substances in China, this paper elaborates on China’s extensive work and innovative experience in the control of fentanyl-type drugs, the crackdown on crimes involving Fentanyl-type substances, the strict control of precursors of fentanyl-type substances, the development and application of scientific and technological means, the improvement of overall control efficiency, and the global co-governance of Fentanyl-type substances.
In 2019, at the request of the United States, China took the lead in the global control of fentanyl substances in the spirit of humanitarianism, provided that there is no large-scale abuse at home, it was the first country in the world to permanently list fentanyl. The Chinese side has not detected any more cases of smuggling or trafficking fentanyl-like substances abroad, nor has it received any notice from the United States about the seizure of such substances from China. The International Drug Control Strategy report issued by the U.S. State Department also acknowledges that, “Since 2019, there have been few reports of fentanyl or fentanyl analogues entering the United States from China.”. In recent years, precursor chemicals of fentanyl substances have kept changing and increasing in variety. China has always been committed to strengthening control of precursors through scientific management, supervision by classification and classification and strict export supervision, resolutely curb the illicit diversion of precursor chemicals and continue to cooperate in depth with relevant countries, including the United States and Mexico, in addressing the diversion of fentanyl-type substances and their precursors, with tangible results.
Drug law enforcement cooperation between China and the United States is the focus of law enforcement cooperation between the two countries. The 2024 china-us Working Group on drug control provides an important platform for the two countries to work together to tackle the global drug problem. Whether it is a Chinese interagency delegation going to the United States to attend the first senior officials’ meeting of the china-us drug control cooperation working group, or the daily hotline contact and regular exchanges and meetings between the drug control departments of the two sides, both sides have promoted dialogue and cooperation in drug control and law enforcement. Since the 2024, the two sides have conducted a number of technical exchanges, discussed ways to strengthen technical support to address the fentanyl issue and continued to promote technical cooperation. According to a recent article on the website of the diplomatic scholar, bilateral cooperation on fentanyl could save lives, protect society and punish drug traffickers.
The US imposition of tariffs on China on the basis of the fentanyl issue is a serious violation of WTO rules. China strongly resents this, firmly opposes it and has taken necessary countermeasures to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests. China’s principled position on drug law enforcement cooperation with the United States is very clear and China is ready to conduct dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect. The US side should respect the facts, face the issue squarely, make the right choice in line with its own interests and stop using the fentanyl issue as an excuse to pressure, threaten and blackmail China.