U.S. and Chinese officials are set to hold talks on addressing the supply of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals as they meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Beijing.
The U.S.-PRC Counternarcotics Working Group sessions follow a commitment for the two countries to work together on the issue following a November meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
A senior U.S. administration official told reporters Sunday that China has already taken some action against Chinese suppliers of synthetic drugs and chemical precursors, including shutting down some companies and blocking international payment accounts.
“We're starting to see reductions in seizures of precursors at some U.S. airports already,” a senior administration official said. “I think the nature of the drug trade means that we can't just rest on the laurels of this set of actions that happened right after the summit
The working group will allow the United States and China to continue to coordinate as the drug trade evolves, the official said.
Specific aims include pursuing “a range of efforts across law enforcement actions, efforts to institute precursor chemical controls, monitor emerging front trends, counter illicit finance, and coordinate with other partners to help disrupt the global illicit drug supply chain.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States each year, and about 70% of those are linked to illegally made fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
Fentanyl is often mixed with other drugs, such as heroin and cocaine.
The U.S. delegation for the meetings in Beijing includes officials from several agencies, including the State Department, Treasury Department, Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
