What’s new: China stressed the importance of preventing fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking during a national anti-drug conference last week, following a recent pledge by U.S. and Chinese leaders to work together to stop the illegal spread of the powerful drug.
Authorities pushed for jointly combatting transnational drug crimes and deepening bilateral and multilateral anti-drug cooperation mechanisms, according to a statement published on a website managed by the China National Narcotics Control Commission following the Dec. 7 conference.
Since October, authorities in at least three parts of the country have carried out special actions to control fentanyl, including a district in Xining, Northwest China’s Qinghai province; a county in Baiyin, Northwest China’s Gansu province; and an area in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, local authorities reported in recent weeks.
The actions are aimed at “mapping out the production, operation, import and export of fentanyl-related drugs, as well as of their precursor [chemicals],” the reports said. The authorities in Qinghai specified that they wanted to strengthen investigations into universities and faculty members capable of making fentanyl-type substances, while the authorities in Inner Mongolia conducted checks at medical institutions and pharmacies.
The background: During a high-profile meeting in mid-November in the U.S., President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart President Joe Biden agreed to better cooperate in the global fight against the illicit manufacturing and trafficking of drugs like fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid.
Washington had sanctioned more than a dozen Chinese companies and citizens for their alleged involvement in the production of fentanyl-laced drugs. China has condemned the sanctions.
Contact reporter Kelly Wang (jingzhewang@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)
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