China's Ministry of Public Security strongly opposes raising US tariffs under the pretext of the fentanyl problem

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A spokesman for China's Ministry of Public Security on Sunday expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the United States' decision to impose a 10 percent additional tariff on imports from China under the pretext of fentanyl-related problems.

China is one of the countries with the strictest drug control policies and the most stringent law enforcement in the world, the spokesman said, adding that China has consistently and resolutely fulfilled its international drug control commitments and actively engaged in international drug cooperation with various countries around the world, including the United States.

Despite the lack of widespread drug abuse in China, China became the first country in the world to officially classify fentanyl-related substances as a class of drugs in 2019, based on humanitarian intent and at the request of the US side, the spokesman said. However, the United States has not yet established a permanent classification of fentanyl-related substances into a similar class, he said.

According to the spokesman, no cases of seizures of such substances originating in China have been reported in the US since the introduction of regulation in China.

In recent years, China and the United States have made visible progress in practical cooperation on drug control, including substance control, information exchange and cooperation on cases, which has yielded concrete results, the spokesman said.

The spokesman also noted that the root of the fentanyl problem in the United States lies squarely in the U.S., and reducing domestic demand for the drug and strengthening law enforcement cooperation are essential solutions.

Shifting the blame to other countries not only does not solve the problem, but also undermines the basis of trust and cooperation between China and the United States on drug control, the spokesman said.

China urged the United States to correct its mistakes and protect the progress made in bilateral drug control cooperation, which would contribute to the stable, healthy and sustainable development of bilateral relations, the spokesman said.

CMG