SAN FRANCISCO: US administration is all set to remove restrictions on China’s Institute of Forensic Science to establish cooperation with Beijing to stop the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl in the United States, Western media reported on Tuesday.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) blocking fentanyl chemicals has been a top priority for the Biden administration as the rate of deaths due to overdose of the drug is more than tripled from 2016 through 2021.
Biden is expected to discuss the issue with China’s President Xi Jinping in San Francisco on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum on Wednesday.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Tuesday said that Washington expects the summit would result in action to help fight fentanyl trade. Media reports quoting a source familiar with plans said the U.S. was ready to remove restrictions on the Institute of Forensic Science, part of China’s Ministry of Public Security.
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Washington imposed restrictions on Chinese institute and put its name in the Commerce Department’s entity list in 2020. During the move it stopped receiving Chinese exports. China has always questioned how the U.S. would expect cooperation on fentanyl while targeting the Chinese institute.
According to government estimates Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and is mixed with other illicit drugs, often with extreme results. U.S. drug-related overdose deaths crossed 100,000 in 2021.
