On May 5, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against 31 Chinese entities and individuals for participating in the transnational sale of illegal drug production equipment. The spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the United States responded to this matter, saying that on the one hand, the United States has repeatedly hoped that China will resume anti-drug cooperation, and on the other hand, it has brazenly sanctioned Chinese entities and individuals again, seriously infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of relevant enterprises and individuals. China strongly condemns this.
The spokesman said that the pretext of the US sanctions is that these Chinese entities and individuals sell tablet presses, molds and other equipment to the United States and Mexico. As we all know, tablet presses and molds are ordinary commodities, have legal uses, and are widely used in normal industrial production. Moreover, according to international practice and common practice, it is the basic responsibility of the importing enterprise to ensure that international goods are not used illegally for the purpose of being illegal, and it is also the legal obligation of the government of the importing country.
China has always strictly practiced drug control and, in the spirit of humanitarianism, has been doing its best to help the United States cope with the fentanyl issue. In May 2019, China took the lead in the world to list fentanyl as a whole, playing an important role in preventing its illegal manufacture and abuse. However, the United States has not only ignored China's goodwill, but has insisted on using the so-called human rights issue in Xinjiang as an excuse to unreasonably sanction institutions such as the Physical Evidence Identification Center of the Ministry of Public Security and the National Drug Laboratory, and now it has repeatedly sanctioned Chinese enterprises and individuals, "throwing the pot" at China, seriously undermining the foundation of anti-drug cooperation between the two sides.
The spokesman stressed that the drug epidemic in the United States had its root causes in the United States itself. The United States, which accounts for only 5 percent of the world's population, consumes 80 percent of the world's opioids, and to date there is no permanent blanket of fentanyl. Under the increasingly stringent control of fentanyl substances in the international community and China, the fentanyl problem in the United States continues to deteriorate, and the number of deaths has not decreased but increased, and the United States should deeply reflect on this. Instead of reducing domestic drug demand, strengthening prescription drug control, and strengthening publicity and education on the dangers of drugs, the United States arbitrarily wields the stick of sanctions against other countries in an attempt to confuse the public, mislead the public, and shift the responsibility for its own poor governance.
The US sanctions against Chinese enterprises and citizens will create further obstacles to Sino-US anti-drug cooperation and harm others and themselves. If the US side sincerely wants to solve the domestic drug problem, it should respect the facts, reflect on itself, correct its mistakes, and stop shirking blame. China will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and individuals.