China's contribution to fentanyl fight cannot be questioned

Counternarcotics cooperation is among the areas of progress between China and the US bilateral cooperation.

During the past year, China has launched campaigns against fentanyl and its precursor chemicals, cracked down on illegal and criminal activities involving the smuggling, illicit manufacturing, trafficking, and abuse of fentanyl-related substances. It has carried out a sweeping inspection of key businesses, personnel, and equipment. It has worked to clean up information about online sales of fentanyl and strictly prevent the smuggling and trafficking of relevant chemical substances to protect people's physical and mental health.

Nonetheless, recent media coverage in the US still raised questions about China's commitment to combating fentanyl and chemical precursors. Earlier this year, the House China Committee issued a so-called report that falsely claimed that the Chinese government supports the production of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals through tax subsidies.

These accusations completely run counter to facts. China has deployed a special fentanyl-like substance control and network clean-up campaign across the country. By at least August 2024, it had enforced the cancellation of 332 corporate accounts, removed 1,016 online stores, and cleaned up more than 146,000 pieces of information.

Since the end of 2023, the drug-control authorities of China and the US have gradually resumed regular communication and collaborated on intelligence sharing, drug testing, anti-money laundering, and joint investigations in a number of major cases.

The committee's report distorts the truth and is misleading. It is a common practice in most countries to exempt export value-added tax on export goods and refund the value-added tax already collected in all domestic links. The tax rebate rate is not equal to a subsidy, nor does it mean that any commodity can be exported freely. To export, you must strictly implement the relevant domestic laws and regulations and international trade rules.

China's contributions to combating the illegal production, trafficking, and abuse of fentanyl are widely recognized. The progress in China-US cooperation on counternarcotics has not come easily. Sanctions, smears, and slander against China will only undermine the foundation of China-US counternarcotics cooperation.

After all, the abuse of fentanyl in the United States is a problem that must be confronted and resolved by the US itself. China has been assisting the US in various ways on humanitarian grounds, and the latter should not return goodness with evil.

The author is a commentator on international affairs, writing regularly for Xinhua News, Global Times, China Daily, CGTN etc. She can be reached at mmli210717@gmail.com.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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