China says U.S. can do more to reduce fentanyl demand

Record ID: 1428661

  • Title: China says U.S. can do more to reduce fentanyl demand
  • Date: 26th August 2019
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (AUGUST 26, 2019) (REUTERS) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN GENG SHUANG ARRIVING FOR REGULAR NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN GENG SHUANG, SAYING: "When it comes to reducing demand for fentanyl, the U.S. government absolutely can do even more. The United States should respect the facts, and stop pinning the blame on others, and objectively note what China has done (on this matter). At the same time they should strengthen their regulation (of drugs) domestically and properly implement actions which truly and effectively bring down fentanyl manufacturers and smugglers." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS EXTERIOR OF FOREIGN MINISTRY CHINESE NATIONAL FLAG FLYING
  • Embargoed: 9th September 2019 11:07
  • Keywords: Fentanyl opioid opioid crisis Trump drugs narcotics smuggling trade war
  • Location: BEIJING, CHINA
  • City: BEIJING, CHINA
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Government/Politics,International Trade
  • Reuters ID: LVA001ATUSAX3
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The U.S. government can do more to reduce demand for fentanyl and should stop shifting the blame onto others, China said on Monday (August 26), in another riposte to Trump administration criticism that China is not helping resolve the drug problem.
    U.S. officials say China is the main source of illicit fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances that are trafficked into the United States, much of it through international mail. China denies that most of the illicit fentanyl entering the United States originates in China.
    Speaking at a daily news briefing in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the government was playing a positive role in tackling the global drugs issue, and outlined the steps China had taken to control it. The United States consumes 80 percent of the world's opioids despite having only five percent of the population, Geng said.
    The U.S. Treasury last Wednesday (August 21) imposed sanctions on three Chinese men accused of illegally trafficking fentanyl, acting three weeks after Trump accused China of reneging on pledges to stem the flood of the highly addictive synthetic opioid into the United States. The dispute over fentanyl comes as the United States is in the middle of a major trade dispute with China.
    (Production: Martin Pollard)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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