Following US deal, China warns against selling narcotic-producing chemicals

China’s narcotics control agency has issued a warning against the manufacture and sale of compounds that can be used to make illegal drugs, just one day after President Xi Jinping said that China would stop exporting components used to make the opioid fentanyl.

In a circular issued on Thursday, the China National Narcotics Control Commission’s office also warned against falling under the ‘long-arm jurisdiction’ of foreign law enforcement authorities.

The US has long sought China’s assistance in halting the illicit supply of precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl, which is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and is increasingly combined with other drugs, often with disastrous consequences.

During their meeting in San Francisco on Wednesday, Xi and US President Joe Biden agreed that China would stop exporting ingredients used in the manufacturing of fentanyl.

According to a senior US official, under the agreement, China will go after particular chemical businesses that manufacture fentanyl precursors.

The narcotics agency stated in its circular that any individual or company that is aware of the sale, transport, or export of illegal substances or precursor chemicals may face criminal charges or fines.

According to US officials, small chemical enterprises in China generate precursor chemicals that are sent to Mexico to be processed into illicit fentanyl. China claims that drug addiction and demand are domestic issues in the United States.

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