The first meeting of a joint U.S.-China working group on fentanyl precursor chemicals will take place in Beijing on Tuesday, a senior U.S. official said Sunday.
“This is a key part of the implementation of our bilateral cooperation in this effort,” the official told reporters.
Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor Jen Daskal will lead the interagency U.S. delegation, which will include officials from the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, State, and Treasury.
Fentanyl is the leading cause of drug overdoses in America. U.S. officials have said China is the primary source of precursor chemicals synthesized into fentanyl by Mexican drug cartels, a claim Beijing has strongly denied.
The State Department official added that the United States has information that China took action against Chinese chemical companies that produce precursors during a summit between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping last November.
The United States will take enforcement action and control precursors, and this meeting is a key moment in addressing that, the official said.
Top Chinese and US officials held candid talks in Bangkok aimed at reducing tensions between the US and China ahead of an expected phone call between Biden and Xi this spring.
The relationship between the two countries has been strained in recent years over a range of issues, including the origins of COVID-19, trade wars, Taiwan and human rights.
Biden and Xi Jinping already discussed efforts to curb the flow of fentanyl at a summit in California last year. The U.S. has noted that seizures of illicit chemicals used to make fentanyl have dropped after China took steps to shut down some companies. In addition, a U.S. official said Sunday that China has initiated talks with Mexico on the issue of drug trafficking and precursors.
It is certainly good news that the two world powers are talking again, and on such an important topic.
