While strained U.S.-China relations have halted progress on tackling the fentanyl crisis, Congressman Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) said the U.S. needs to take a strong approach in getting Beijing to cooperate with stemming the flow of fentanyl from China to Mexico.
In an interview with State Newswire, Rep. Calvert said “(b)y allowing the exportation of fentanyl and fentanyl pre-cursor chemicals to Mexican drug cartels, China is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. The status quo must change. We need a new approach to confront this deadly crisis that’s devastating families and communities across America. I believe we need to make it clear to the Chinese Communist Party that there will be serious, meaningful, and painful ramifications if they do not take action to stop the flow of these chemicals.”
China was praised by the U.S. in 2018 for regulating two common fentanyl precursors that were being purchased by Mexican cartels, used to make fentanyl, and then imported into the U.S. Since then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited Taiwan in August, Chinese officials have refused to discuss taking further action against fentanyl trafficking. In a recent federal commission on opioid trafficking, Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) said China has been cutting off all communications with the U.S. State Department (DOS) and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) regarding the drug.
Meanwhile, China has pointed the finger at the U.S. for its fentanyl crisis. Spokesman Liu Pengyu spoke on the matter, saying, "As a matter of fact, it is the U.S. that has undermined China-U. S. counter-narcotics cooperation."
Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has also been vocal, saying, "The U.S. must look squarely at its own problem instead of deflecting blame."
The U.S. Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking said last year that the Chinese government is not incentivized to place stringent regulations on its biopharmaceutical sector, because it is a significant driver of China’s economy.
China leads the world in chemical exports, with between 160,000 and 400,000 chemical manufacturers and distributors located in the country, many of which operate illegally, according to the Brookings Institute.
Overdoses caused by synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, accounted for two-thirds of all overdose deaths in 2021, according to the DEA. A person can die from as little as two milligrams of fentanyl, depending on their tolerance.
The Brookings Institute reports that despite China's regulatory efforts several years ago, the nation remains the largest supplier of fentanyl in the U.S. China's counternarcotics cooperation is described as "highly selective, self-serving, and limited."
Despite the increase in Chinese criminal actors in Mexico, such as money launderers, China has refused to accept joint responsibility for the fentanyl epidemic and instead maintains that Mexican law enforcement should step up. Since 1999, about 1 million Americans have died from drug overdoses.
Spokesman Wang Wenbin criticized Pelosi on her decision to visit Taiwan, saying it has lead to the degradation of relations between the two countries. He said, "In disregard of China’s stern warnings and repeated representations, Nancy Pelosi visited China’s Taiwan region. This has dealt a heavy blow to the political foundation of China-US relations. The Chinese side announced eight countermeasures including suspending China-US counternarcotics cooperation."
Wenbin called on the U.S. to "seriously reflect on the underlying reason" for its narcotics consumption, saying that there is no "large-scale fentanyl abuse in China."
Rep. Calvert has served in Congress since 1992, according to his website.
