After US Pressure, China Yields on Fentanyl Chemicals

Beijing agrees to crack down on drug's precursors starting Sept. 1
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 7, 2024 3:16 PM CDT
China Agrees to Crack Down on Fentanyl Precursors
A homeless person smokes fentanyl on June 28 in Portland, Oregon.   (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

China, one of the largest sources of chemicals used to produce fentanyl, will impose new restrictions on the substances, in a move signaling the Biden administration's pressure campaign has paid off. The administration has for years been pushing Beijing to impose stricter oversight over the production and sale of 4-AP, 1-boc-4-AP, and norfentanyl, which were blacklisted by the UN's Commission on Narcotic Drugs in March 2022. But China delayed, "exerting a point of leverage over the US as bilateral relations soured," per the Wall Street Journal.

Congressional investigators argue China has fueled the fentanyl crisis in the US by subsidizing the manufacture of the chemicals and offering tax rebates to companies that sell them abroad. While the US has urged China to prosecute chemical producers, Beijing has countered that the chemicals aren't restricted at home. Beginning Sept. 1, however, China will add controls and regulation to the production of 4-AP, 1-boc-4-AP, and norfentanyl. Producers will be required to obtain a license and report the type and quantity of chemicals produced, as well as major sales, within 30 days, per the South China Morning Post.

The White House says it's "a valuable step forward," per Reuters. Experts say the move is unlikely to majorly disrupt fentanyl supply chains, in part because unregulated chemical alternatives are always appearing, but it does signal China is willing to budge on an issue important to the US, where fentanyl overdoses are the leading cause of death for individuals ages 18 to 45. Moving forward, "experts expect China will use the issue of fentanyl to seek concessions from the US, whether in the form of lower tariffs, looser rules on technology sales to China, or other issues on Beijing's wish list," the Journal reports. (More China stories.)

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