China slams US envoy over fentanyl accusation

ISTANBUL

China slammed US Ambassador Nicholas Burns on Thursday for accusing the country of failing to stop the production of fentanyl, dismissing it as “fake news.”

“The allegation of illicit flow of fentanyl precursors from China into the US via Mexico is sheer disinformation. The root cause of the US’s fentanyl crisis lies at home. The fundamental solution is to reduce domestic demand and supply,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.

“The US needs to reflect on itself, strengthen regulation and control of prescription drugs at home, step up public awareness campaigns about the harm of narcotics, and reduce domestic demand for drugs, instead of smearing and discrediting other countries to shift the blame,” Wang told reporters in Beijing, according to a transcript released by the ministry.

Burns had accused Beijing of making "no progress on this issue."

"We have been pushing very hard that the government of China use its considerable power to shut down the ability of these black-market Chinese firms to sell the fentanyl," he said, speaking virtually on Wednesday to an audience in Washington.

In response, Wang said the accusation is seriously “damaging” to the foundation for China-US counter-narcotics cooperation.

“Maybe you could ask Ambassador Burns this: What is the US exactly trying to do? Does it seek to solve its drug abuse problem through cooperation? Or does the US think it’s more important to suppress and contain China?” Wang said in response to a question about Burns' statement.

Claiming that China was always “tough on drug-related crimes," Wang said “China is the first country in the world to have officially scheduled fentanyl as a class and conducts the toughest regulation on precursor chemicals.”