By Zhong Sheng
Recently, some US politicians have been blaming China for not fulfilling promises to stop sales of fentanyl to the US, calling China a major source of fentanyl-related substances and a cause of many deaths in the US.
Such groundless accusation only revealed their amorality – something rarely seen in this world.
Facts don’t lie. Implementing very strict control over fentanyl-related substances, the Chinese government has regulated 25 variants of fentanyl and 2 precursors, more than those on the United Nations’ list.
To respond to US concerns, China completed relevant legal procedures in four months and listed all fentanyl-related drugs in the country as controlled substances starting May 1. This demonstrated the sense of responsibility of the Chinese government to actively participate in global drug control and safeguard global peace and stability.
China spares no efforts to advance relevant work, including the making of legal documents, a nationwide investigation campaign on fentanyl-like substances, and a special action to crack down upon online sales of such substances.
It has also urged logistics companies to implement necessary procedures including real-name consignment, unpacking, and machine security screening. The country is ensuring that every measure it adopts is implemented.
China has achieved fruitful results in fentanyl control and such achievement speaks for itself. Since this year, not a single case of illegally producing, selling and trafficking fentanyl-like substances has been spotted by Chinese drug control departments.
Statistics released by the US Department of Justice showed that, in the first quarter this year, US Customs and Border Protection only seized 0.29 kilograms of fentanyl-like substances in 12 cases from China, down by 99 percent and 93 percent respectively compared to the same period last year. In the second quarter, 5 kilograms were seized in 4 cases, down by 78 percent and 97 percent respectively.
The fentanyl-like substances legally produced by China have never entered the US.
It is obvious that some US politicians are merely labeling China by overgeneralization and extreme individual illegal acts. Their conclusion, reached upon the basis of one-sided viewpoint, is totally groundless.
China has always kept its promises and fulfilled its commitment of strictly controlling fentanyl-related substances. The US politicians should respect the facts, observe China’s stand with an objective manner, and face up to China’s huge efforts and achievements.
Why can’t the US have “zero-tolerance” of narcotics and strictly implement its drug control policy just as China does? Why are China’s fentanyl control measures more strict and effective than those of the US? These questions are worth thinking of.
The US, being the largest market of narcotics, has 5 percent of the world’s population, but is consuming 80 percent of opioid drugs. It’s unimaginable that why the US politicians are blaming other countries rather than finding out effective solutions from themselves.
They probably don’t know that the more they slander, the more they break the promises to their people.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)
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