Cooperation, not tariffs, way to solve fentanyl issue

More than 450,000 Americans have died of synthetic opioid overdoses over the past decade, with millions more addicted. US President Donald Trump has made ending the country’s fentanyl crisis a top priority for his administration.

On Wednesday, he officially signed the HALT Fentanyl Act into law — permanently classifying fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

Before he signed the act in the White House, surrounded by families who have lost loved ones to the scourge of fentanyl, Trump mentioned China, though not in the customary accusatory way.

“I think China’s been helping out,” Trump told reporters earlier on Wednesday. “Since I came here we’re talking to them and they’re making big steps ... They want to do something. We’ll see what happens.”

China exercises zero-tolerance to drug issues, and has carried out strict supervision over fentanyl-related substances. It has also cracked down heavily on the smuggling, manufacturing, and trafficking of fentanyl-related substances and precursor chemicals.

China took the lead in including the entire category of fentanyl-related substances in a controlled regulatory list as early as in May 2019, a step conducive to preventing the illicit manufacturing, trafficking and abuse of fentanyl-related substances.

The Chinese authorities have enumerated fentanyl-related medications in the List of Controlled Narcotic Drugs. China exercises strict control in terms of their manufacturing, sale, use and export. It has also established a digital tracking system for fentanyl-related medications.

The Chinese authorities are earnestly fulfilling their responsibility to control drugs. The US administration’s previous accusations were unwarranted and unhelpful. China rigorously meets its international drug control obligations and adheres to the principle of shared responsibility among all countries. It is committed to enhancing international cooperation on drug control through dialogue, joint investigations, and knowledge sharing, while fostering partnerships based on equality and mutual trust.

It should be pointed out that the Trump administration arbitrarily imposed 20 percent additional tariffs on Chinese imports over the issue in February, and they have remained in effect despite the two sides’ trade negotiations in Geneva and London over the past two months. In response, China promptly took countermeasures to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

The fentanyl issue is the US’ problem, not China’s. It’s the US’ responsibility to solve the issue, not China’s. The fentanyl issue has been “a red herring” used by the US administration to pass the buck for its own problem to others.

China has been doing its best to help the US deal with its fentanyl crisis. But despite the goodwill China has shown and the tremendous efforts it has made in cooperating with the US to address its concerns on the issue, the US administration has slapped tariffs on Chinese imports citing the issue of fentanyl.

That move “has dealt a heavy blow to China-US dialogue and cooperation on counternarcotics, and gravely hurt China’s interests,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.

The fentanyl tariffs are unjustified. If the US truly wants to cooperate with China, it should stop vilifying China and trying to shift the blame onto it. The US should lift the fentanyl-related tariffs. They are nothing but trade bullying. The US imposed the tariffs just to give itself one more bargaining chip in its trade talks with China.

The US should understand that its fentanyl-related smear campaigns and attempted coercion cannot conceal its own failure to fulfill its responsibilities to control drugs. Repaying goodwill with punitive measures will not help resolve the issue. The US administration should realize by now that pressure and threats are by no means the right way to engage with China.

Enforcing the overdue fentanyl-related law marks only the beginning for the US to deal with its drug problem.