Fentanyl: a drug that destroys lives—and most of these drugs come from China. At a recent hearing, experts spoke out about how the communist regime is enabling a domestic U.S. crisis to continue.
Hon. James Talent, Commissioner, U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said, “As the largest source of fentanyl, China also plays a key role in the ongoing U.S. opioid epidemic. Beijing’s weak regulatory enforcement regime allows chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturers to export dangerous controlled and uncontrolled substances.”
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid and a dangerous drug, and it’s having a major impact in the U.S. In 2018, nearly 32,000 deaths involved the excessive use of fentanyl.
At a U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission hearing in Washington on July 31, investigative journalist Ben Westhoff said although China has listed all fentanyl analogues on a controlled-substances list since May 1, no differences have been noted so far. “I haven’t seen any results of what’s might have changed since May 1,” he said.
On August 1, in his tweet about increasing tariffs on China, President Trump criticized China for never fulfilling its promise to stop selling fentanyl to the United States, and said many Americans continue to die.
…buy agricultural product from the U.S. in large quantities, but did not do so. Additionally, my friend President Xi said that he would stop the sale of Fentanyl to the United States – this never happened, and many Americans continue to die! Trade talks are continuing, and…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2019
Drawing on an in-depth investigation, Westhoff said China has not been acting in good faith in complying with U.S. regulations, because of the clumsiness of the Chinese bureaucratic system and the regime’s subsidy policies for related industries.
“Many Chinese officials don’t seem to fully understand the laws governing the manufacture and sale of these chemicals, and companies manipulate the legal gray area to their advantage. At the same time, China encourages these industries through lucrative tax incentives and subsidies,” Westhoff said.
Federal Drug Enforcement Administration officials said last year that there are 160,000 chemical companies in China, many of which provide raw materials to illicit drug manufacturers. Westhoff said to curb the trend of drug abuse, the United States must put more pressure on China. “My first suggestion is pressuring China to eliminate tax rebates, grants, and subsidies to companies making and exporting these dangerous chemicals.”
