Beijing:
China’s Narcotics Control Agency has warned against the production and sale of substances that could be used to make illegal drugs, a day after President Xi Jinping said China would halt exports of products used to make the opioid fentanyl to make.
In a circular issued Thursday, the office of the China National Narcotics Control Commission also warned of the risk of running afoul of the “long-arm jurisdiction” of foreign law enforcement agencies.
The United States has long sought China’s cooperation to stem an illegal flow of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl, which is up to 50 times more potent than heroin and is increasingly mixed with other drugs, often with deadly consequences.
At their summit on Wednesday in San Francisco, Xi and US President Joe Biden agreed that China would block exports of products linked to fentanyl production.
Under the agreement, China will directly go after specific chemical companies that make fentanyl precursors, a senior U.S. official said.
In its circular, the narcotics bureau warned that any person or company, including postal and logistics companies, knowing of the sale, transportation or export of illegal drugs or precursor chemicals can expect criminal prosecution or fines.
U.S. officials say small chemical companies in China are making precursor chemicals that are shipped to Mexico to produce illegal fentanyl. China says addiction and demand for the drug are domestic problems in the US.
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