CNN
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Members of Congress are urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken to pressure China to do more to limit the flow of fentanyl and synthetic opium into the United States during his visit to the country expected. will take place in the next few days.
On Wednesday, a group of 14 Republican senators led by Marco Rubio of Florida wrote to Blinken before his trip highlighted China’s role in the “fentanyl crisis” as one of the many issues they wanted him to address.
More than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdose between July 2021 and July 2022, and two-thirds of those deaths were due to synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl, according to the CDC.
An extremely potent synthetic drug, fentanyl is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine and 30 to 50 times stronger than heroin.
Chinese government cracked on the production and distribution of fentanyl in 2019, in a move hailed by the Trump administration. As a result, China is no longer the main source of fentanyl into the US. But it remains the main source of precursors that are often shipped to Mexico and used by cartels to produce fentanyl that is brought across the border.
David Luckey, senior international and defense researcher at RAND Corporation, explains: “China is the leading producer of these precursors and is shipping and selling them to two large Mexican corporations (Sinaloa and New Generation) manufactures fentanyl.
“Almost 98% of the chemical precursors used to make fentanyl come from China,” Democratic Representative David Trone of Maryland told CNN. Convincing China to participate in this crisis “must be Secretary Blinken’s number one task when he gets there.”
Experts and lawmakers say the production of precursors in China is a key factor driving the ongoing opioid crisis.
“The synthetic opioid trade is an area where even a few meaningful steps from the PRC (People’s Republic of China) can play an important role in combating this worsening epidemic. and save American lives,” Trone wrote in a letter to Blinken last month. He urged Blinken not to negotiate with Chinese officials on other topics until he received assurances from Beijing to do more to avert the fentanyl crisis.
Trone, whose grandson died of a fentanyl overdose, believes China should commit to adopting rules that require pharmaceutical companies to know who their customers are, and introduce and enforce export regulations. chemicals, and partnering with U.S. agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Office of National Drug Control Policy to crack down on the fentanyl trade.
Blinken has directed his team at the State Department to work with interagency partners to do “everything possible” to address this deadly crisis, the leading killer of Americans between the ages of 18 to 49, State Department spokesman Ned Price said earlier this year.
But it is unclear what he will ask the Chinese government directly during his visit.
“While their previous actions have helped combat illegal synthetic drugs, we continue to urge the People’s Republic of China to take more concrete action that makes sense to limit the diversion of chemicals. precursors and equipment that criminals use to produce fentanyl and other synthetic drugs,” said Price.
Some lawmakers believe Blinken should bring up trade talks with China if it is involved in efforts related to averting the fentanyl crisis. However, other congressional aides say China will only respond to pressure and believe the administration should consider steps including additional sanctions related to dangerous substances – to force them to join.
Todd Robinson, the State Department’s top official for drug affairs and international law enforcement, said that an effective way to approach the challenge would be through “collaboration and cooperation”.
“China has its own problem with drugs. Mexico has a problem with drugs. Colombia also has a problem. And what we’ve said is, it’s no longer a matter of you just using one or the other. Everyone has problems.”
But China’s need for engagement is clear: a reduction in the supply of chemical precursors from China would have a “huge” impact on the crisis and “mean a substantial reduction” in deaths in the country. America due to drug overdose, Robinson said.
China is the largest producer of chemicals in everyday products such as cleaning supplies. Many Chinese companies have begun to manufacture and sell precursors in addition to the chemicals they already produce.
Challenges in getting to the root of the problem persist as China and other countries often turn the tables on the US and blame Americans for the addiction problem driving demand.
“It’s not as simple as saying, ‘China, stop manufacturing and exporting these chemicals’. There are several sides to this problem. In response, for example, China could respond by ‘Americans stop buying and using drugs,'” Luckey said.
Many Americans directly involved in the crisis are watching Blinken’s trip closely.
West Virginia – home to more than 1,300 synthetic opioid deaths between March 2021 and March 2022, According to CDC – is at the heart of the domestic crisis.
Jordan Dennison lives in the state, grew up with parents who were drug addicts and developed an opioid addiction in his teens. A few years ago – after more than 10 drug overdoses – he finally came clean. The 30-year-old is currently working at an outreach program to put addicts in treatment.
“Drugs cost me everything. Every relationship I’ve ever had. I learned that what I am using is not a hero, but a fentanyl. I took it on the street, I would go anywhere to get it,” he told CNN. “I never knew where it came from, but I always assumed it came from China.”
