“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat
The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Mexico issued, on July 18, 2023, a “solemn declaration”, in which it denied that the precursor chemicals for the manufacture of fentanyl were of Asian origin and blamed the U.S. Government for slandering the Asian nation and evading responsibility for the presence of such synthetic drug in the U.S.
“The US ambassador to Mexico [Keneth Lee Salazar] and other US officials have slandered that the precursors used by Mexican cartels to illegally produce fentanyl come from China,” said the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Mexico.
Likewise, the diplomatic representation of that Asian country stated that the Chinese government monitored fentanyl-related chemicals with “utmost importance” and stressed that the responsibility for the flow of chemicals did not lie with the administration headed by President Xi Jinping.
“The root of the fentanyl crisis in the United States lies within itself, and reducing domestic supply and demand is the fundamental solution,” added the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Mexico, whose head is Zhang Run.
In addition, the diplomatic representation of that Asian country highlighted that the Chinese government had controlled the supply and administration of substances related to the manufacture of fentanyl, since May 1, 2019, while the United States had not done the same.
“What the United States should do is to reflect on itself, strengthen domestic control of prescription drugs, intensify the dissemination of the dangers and harms of drugs and reduce domestic demand for drugs, instead of slandering and blaming other countries,” argued the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Mexico.
According to the diplomatic representation of the Asian country, the Chinese government catalogued and controlled 38 precursor chemicals for the manufacture of fentanyl, 14 more than those indicated by the United Nations (UN), including substances similar to ephedrine; measures that, according to the Embassy, had been recognized by the international community.
For this reason, the Chinese government disclaimed any responsibility for the illegal distribution of fentanyl in other countries, since “the responsibility for preventing the flow of non-scheduled chemical substances into drug production lies with the importing country”.
In addition, regarding the collaboration that the Chinese government had with its Mexican counterpart, the text noted that “at present, the two sides are actively coordinating and strengthening the supervision of drug manufacturing substances”, so the channels of communication remained fluid and the bilateral relationship was considered of “great importance”.