Opinion | Why the solution to US opioid epidemic won’t come from China
- It is true that the lack of US-China cooperation will make the job of traffickers that much easier
- However, supply-side efforts are ultimately of limited effectiveness, given the seemingly boundless ability of manufacturers to change production methods
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy issued a statement blasting Beijing’s move as “unacceptable”, saying it “has played and must play a key role in helping disrupt the illicit flow of drugs like fentanyl and their precursor chemicals”.
But, in reality, China’s decision will make little difference. Cooperation with the US was already on a downward spiral years before Pelosi touched down in Taipei. And there was always a limit to what Beijing could do, even if it tried.
It is true, though, that the US and China have managed to cooperate effectively in the past. The two established working groups, shared information and held high-level meetings on drugs, the most recent being during a call in July when Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden discussed the fentanyl issue.