(Bloomberg) -- The US will host a senior delegation of Chinese officials for a new round of talks on curbing the flow of fentanyl, the latest effort by President Joe Biden’s administration to address an opioid crisis that has become an issue in the 2024 election.
The discussions set for Wednesday are intended to ensure China continues to crack down on domestic firms responsible for the production of precursor chemicals used to make the drugs and combats illicit financing of the drug trade, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.
The bilateral meetings have been a hallmark of Biden’s efforts to enlist Beijing in preventing the manufacture and export of fentanyl — an issue the president raised with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during an in-person meeting in November 2023.
The administration has seen signs of increased Chinese cooperation, the US official said. The official cited the June arrest of an individual who had been charged by the US Department of Justice in a money-laundering scheme, a warning issued to domestic Chinese industry over producing the chemical ingredients, and the designation of 46 substances to a list of controlled drugs.
The White House on Wednesday will also release a national security memorandum, emphasizing stronger coordination among federal agencies, including intelligence sharing on drug trafficking and smuggling. The White House is also renewing calls for legislation to close loopholes traffickers exploit, to impose harsher penalties on smugglers and to establish a national registry for pill-press equipment used to make drugs.
The official cited figures showing deaths from fentanyl and other opioid overdoses have started to decline while highlighting that the situation remains grave. In the past five months, border officials have seized over 442 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl, according to the official.
The flow of illicit drugs and a historic surge in migrants across the southwest border with Mexico have been defining issues of the 2024 election, with Republicans assailing Biden’s handling of those matters. That criticism has turned to Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee after Biden’s exit from the race.
Border issues were in Harris’ portfolio earlier in the administration. Republican nominee Donald Trump has taken to labeling her the “border czar” in a bid to pin blame for the situation on his new opponent.
A bipartisan bill to provide more resources to address the border was rejected by Republicans at Trump’s urging — denying Biden a political victory. That led Biden to take executive action to curb asylum claims on the border in June. Democrats have pointed to numbers showing a decrease in migrants crossing the border after Biden’s move.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
