China takes action on key US fentanyl demands
Beijing previously defended its drug control record and accused Washington of using fentanyl to 'blackmail' China. PHOTO: MERIDITH KOHUT/NYTIMES
BEIJING - China has taken a series of actions in the past week on counter-narcotics, in a sign of cooperation with US demands for stronger action on the synthetic opioid fentanyl, a key irritant in the bilateral relationship.
US President Donald Trump imposed 20 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports in February over Beijing's alleged failure to curb the flow of precursor chemicals for fentanyl, which has caused nearly 450,000 US overdose deaths. Those tariffs have remained in effect despite a fragile trade truce reached in Geneva in May.
Beijing has defended its drug control record and accused Washington of using fentanyl to 'blackmail' China. Both sides were in a stalemate over the issue for months, despite China sending its vice public security minister to the Geneva talks.
China has balked at some of Washington's demands, which include publicising the crackdown on precursors on the front page of the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily, educating Party members and tightening regulation of specific chemicals, among other actions.
On June 26, China's State Security Ministry accused a 'certain country' of 'deliberately launching unwarranted attacks on China over the fentanyl issue', in a veiled swipe at the US.
But on June 20, Beijing added two precursors to a list of controlled chemicals, according to a government statement.
The chemicals, 4-piperidone and 1-boc-4-piperidone, were 'considered fundamental to resolving the fentanyl issue', raising hopes that the 20 per cent tariffs could be eventually lifted, according to a source familiar with US government thinking.
The move came after US Ambassador David Perdue had a rare meeting with China's Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong on June 19 in Beijing, at which Mr Wang expressed willingness to work with Washington on drug control, according to a Chinese statement.
China's Foreign Ministry said the action on precursors was an 'independent measure' taken by Beijing in line with the UN Drug Convention and 'demonstrates China's attitude of actively participating in global drug governance'.
Working-level conversations on fentanyl remain ongoing, and Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the topic in a June 5 phone call.
Chinese immigration officials seized 2.42 tonnes of drugs and arrested 262 suspects for drug smuggling so far in 2025, state media reported on June 26, as Beijing vowed to crack down on drug trafficking and 'intensify anti-drug propaganda' in border areas and ports.
In addition, Chinese officials announced on June 25 they had prosecuted more than 1,300 people and arrested over 700 more nationwide for drug-related money laundering offences between January and May 2025, a 2.1 per cent year-on-year increase.
Beijing will 'cut off the criminal interest chain and destroy the economic foundation of drug crimes', Mr Miao Shengming, a senior official at the Supreme People's Procuratorate said during a press conference.
On June 23, a court in the southeastern province of Fujian handed a suspended death sentence to former drug control official Liu Yuejin for bribery, state media reported.
Liu, a former director of the Ministry of Public Security's narcotics control bureau, was convicted of illegally receiving bribes worth over 121 million yuan (S$21.6 million) between 1992 and 2020.
The US Embassy in Beijing did not respond to a request for comment.
The Chinese government statements did not mention the US.
Chinese scholars acknowledge that fentanyl's central position in the US-China trade war comes with a lot of political baggage for Beijing.
'The US views the fentanyl issue as a sign of poor governance on China's part and has exerted pressure on China as a result, politicising the issue of drug control,' said Professor Liu Weidong, a US-China expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
'This context is certain to influence China's approach to addressing the fentanyl issue.' REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Turkey hopes for progress on F-35 jets after Trump meeting, Erdogan says
ANKARA - President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey has not given up on acquiring F-35 fighter jets from the United States and has conveyed its desire to rejoin the programme from which it was removed over its purchase of Russian defence systems. Speaking to reporters on a return flight from a NATO summit in The Hague — where he met U.S. President Donald Trump — Erdogan said he hoped for progress following their discussions on the issue. "We have not given up on the F-35s. We are discussing our intention to return to the programme with our counterparts," he was cited as saying by his office on Thursday. "We discussed the issue in our meeting with Mr. Trump, talks at a technical level have started. God willing, we will make progress." Washington imposed sanctions on its NATO ally Ankara in 2020 over its purchase of Russian S-400 missile defence systems, while also removing it from the F-35 programme where it was both a buyer and manufacturer. Turkey has repeatedly said its removal was unjust and demanded to be reinstated or reimbursed. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Departing US top official in Hong Kong criticises reach of national security law
Outgoing US Consul-General Gregory May said US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping both wanted to get the bilateral relationship on "a positive track". PHOTO: AFP HONG KONG - The top American diplomat in Hong Kong on June 26 criticised Hong Kong's use of the national security law to jail prominent campaigners for democracy, including media tycoon Jimmy Lai, and engage in the "transnational repression" of activists abroad. Mr Gregory May, the departing consul-general of the United States in Hong Kong, who is coming to the end of a three-year stint in the city, spoke about recent turbulence in the US-China relationship and highlighted various "friction points" including Lai's case. Lai, 77, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces under the national security law, as well as a separate charge of conspiracy to publish seditious material. He has been held in solitary confinement for more than 1,500 days since December 2020. "President Trump himself has mentioned Jimmy Lai several times now and he's very concerned about the fate of Mr Lai," Mr May told reporters after a speech at a US Independence Day reception. 'But I just want to emphasise the US government concern is not just on this one individual. There are many other people, unfortunately, in Hong Kong who are in jail for peaceful expression of political views.' Lai, whose family say his health is fragile, faces a possible life sentence under a China-imposed national security law that was implemented in 2020 in response to mass pro-democracy protests the year before. US President Donald Trump has previously said he would "one hundred per cent" get Lai, who also has British citizenship, out of the country. Mr May, who will be leaving to take up a position as deputy head of the US mission in Beijing, also criticised attempts by Hong Kong authorities to pressure overseas Hong Kong activists including the issuing of arrest warrants for national security violations and offering bounties of HK$1 million (S$162,446) each. "The other friction point in my time here has been transnational repression, and it's very disappointing to see over my three years here, attempts by Hong Kong authorities to enforce the national security law within the borders of the United States against US persons," Mr May said. These are "attempts to restrict the free speech of people in the United States and unfortunately we're seeing Hong Kong authorities go after the family members of these overseas activists and that's a very disturbing development," he added. On the broader China-US relationship, Mr May said Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping both wanted to get the bilateral relationship on "a positive track", a goal he would work towards in Beijing under the new US ambassador to China, Mr David Perdue. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
AsiaOne
2 hours ago
- AsiaOne
China's military vows to boost combat readiness after Taiwan president speeches, Asia News
BEIJING — The People's Liberation Army "shows zero tolerance to Taiwan independence separatist activities", a Chinese defence ministry spokesperson said on Thursday (June 26) when asked about recent speeches made by Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te. The PLA will enhance combat readiness to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang told a regular press conference. "The Lai authorities keep pushing Taiwan into a dangerous situation of war; they are the cause of harming the livelihood of the Taiwanese people," Zhang said, adding that Lai's comments showed his "ill intentions". Lai on Sunday began a series of 10 speeches on "uniting the country", saying that democratically-ruled Taiwan was "of course a country" and that China had no legal or historical right to claim it. Beijing and Taipei have clashed over their competing interpretations of history in an escalating war of words over what Beijing views as provocations from Taiwan's government, saying it was impossible to "invade" what was already Chinese land. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control and has a particular dislike for Lai, describing him as a "separatist". Taiwan strongly objects to China's sovereignty claims and says it is up to the island's people to decide their future. Tensions between China and Taiwan, including several rounds of Chinese war games, have grown over the last five years and now include daily air and naval deployments near the island. The last Chinese war games in April and October were widely seen by regional military attaches as a test of a possible blockade of Taiwan. The US and its regional allies are watching closely, with some officials saying that China's deployments and its military modernisation have raised the possibility Beijing may one day make good on its threats to take Taiwan by force. [[nid:719476]]
