Monitoring Desk
WASHINGTON: Members of Congress urged US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday to press China to take more steps to curb the flow of fentanyl and synthetic opioids into the US on his trip to China.
Reports said that a group of 14 Republican lawmakers wrote to US top diplomat Blinken ahead of his visit highlighting the “fentanyl crisis” as one of many problems they wanted him to resolve.
US-China
China cracked down on the production and distribution of fentanyl drug in 2019, in a move that was lauded by the Trump administration. As a result, China it is no longer the main source of fentanyl getting into the United States.
However, CNN reported that China is still the main source of antecedent chemicals which are often shipped to Mexico and used by cartels to manufacture fentanyl which is brought over the border.
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Over 100,000 US citizens died of drug overdoses during 2021-22 and two thirds of those deaths were fueled by synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl, officials said.
The US Secretary of State has issued directives to his team at the State Department to work with interagency partners to do to address this deadly issue, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
However, it is unclear what direct asks he will make of the China during his trip.
