• The Biden administration sees progress in counter-drug cooperation with China, but experts warn it is too early to say it will be effective.
• Experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation that there is a lack of data on the Biden administration's progress in working with China on the fentanyl crisis, and that Beijing is not a very reliable ally.
• “The current administration has not even taken the leadership to address the seriousness of the threat…it's not serious,” Derek Maltz, former DEA special operations director, told DCNF.

Although the Biden administration feels it is making progress in counter-drug cooperation with the Chinese government, homeland security and foreign policy experts say it is too early to tell whether the partnership will be effective. I'm watching.

In early February, the Biden administration established a counter-narcotics task force focusing on China. person in charge for transporting fentanyl and opioid-related substances to the United States and Mexico in an effort to crack down on the growing poll epidemic. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), one of the agencies tasked with the task force, feels that: progress Pressure is on China to stop the distribution of these substances, but experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation that they do not yet have enough information and the Chinese government is not a reliable partner. , said it was too early to claim victory. (Related: China continues to avoid responsibility for US fentanyl supply ahead of high-level talks with US)

“If they're bullish, I'm bearish,” Erin Walsh, senior fellow in international relations at the Heritage Foundation's Center for Asian Studies, told DCNF. “If they think things are going well, they have to look at the facts. And even people in the administration, when this was set up, said, 'Well, we don't know. , we have to see.” what happens? ” We will know if they stop sending the precursors. If they cut off the supply of tablet presses and associated materials, that would be proof of the pudding. ”

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas met with Chinese Secretary Wang Xiaohong on Sunday. Discussed A report says progress is being made in curbing the trafficking of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals. read out loud A look at the meeting. The two sides agreed to “commitments regarding continued law enforcement cooperation, bilateral technical exchanges between scientists and other experts, scheduling precursor chemicals, and promoting multilateral cooperation.”

In Austria, we met with China's State Councilor and Minister of Public Security to discuss how we can work together to combat the scourge of fentanyl and save lives at home and around the world. pic.twitter.com/ijJ5OyK7ZO

— Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (@SecMayorkas) February 20, 2024

The House impeached Mayorkas on February 13 for allegedly abdicating his duties and making the following comments: misleading Statement to Congress. Former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Director of Special Operations Derek Maltz told DCNF that it was a mistake to believe that Mayorkas was working on a counternarcotics task force with the Chinese government.

“The American people cannot trust Secretary Mayorkas. He has lied over and over again. He was impeached by the House of Representatives. “Every American with a brain knows that this is a complete lie,” Maltz told DCNF. “Therefore, all statements made by Mr. Mayorkas should be rejected.”

There is also little data available to support claims of substantive progress in pressuring the Chinese government to curb the trafficking of opioid and fentanyl substances to the United States and Mexico.

Fentanyl and opioid-related deaths in the United States crossed That number rose to more than 80,000 in 2021, the last year such data became available, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.There were 129.7 million cases of fentanyl. seizure The population at the southern border in January was more than 100 million people higher than in November, when China first agreed to work with the United States to address the crisis.

Walsh and Maltz told DCNF that trusting the Chinese government is also dangerous. China is avoiding responsibility for the fentanyl and opioid crisis. person in charge Maltz said the United States was “too slow to act” as such substances and their precursors are trafficked to the United States, Mexico and other countries around the world.

“China has launched a chemical bombing campaign against the United States, and fentanyl is just one part of it,” Maltz told DCNF, adding that other powerful opioids such as isotonitazene, methazine, protonitazene and xylazine are being trafficked from China to the United States. It was pointed out that

“We continue to carry out attacks on our country in order to destabilize our communities and future generations. They are therefore unbelievable. They target this country to wage unrestricted war. I intend to,” he said.

China is a secretive country that often avoids transparency regarding its intentions. F.B.I. concluded It said espionage and counterintelligence by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is a “grave threat to the economic health and democratic values ​​of the United States.”

Walsh said the Chinese government evaded the truth when it denied its role in the coronavirus pandemic and suppressed information about the virus' spread within its population and beyond the mainland. (Related: Exclusive: Chinese drug dealers use racy ads to sell drugs and fentanyl ingredients on US social media)

“China is responsible for killing 1.1 million Americans with the coronavirus and its cover-up,” Walsh told DCNF. “So if you think we can trust them, think again. We can't trust them.”

Addressing the fentanyl crisis in the United States and the global proliferation of synthetic drugs is a challenge that requires a strong and coordinated global response. The United States is working with its Chinese counterpart to stop the illegal leakage of precursor chemicals fueling this crisis. pic.twitter.com/OGx33jceYT

— Department of State (@StateDept) January 31, 2024

Walsh also expressed concern about the Biden administration's lifting. sanctions In November, it protested against China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) Forensic Medicine Institute in exchange for China cracking down on fentanyl trafficking. The MPS Forensic Science Institute has been accused of human rights abuses and supporting the Chinese government's efforts to persecute the Uyghur religious minority in China and East Asia.

“I was very shocked, [the Biden administration] They would have lifted the sanctions just for the talks. [with Beijing]. I mean, it's amazing,” Walsh told DCNF. “This was a complete slap in the face to their entire statement about human rights and caring for Uyghurs and genocide and so on. It's amazing that they would do something like that.”

Maltz said one of the good things about working groups is that many of the people involved are likely to have good intentions and want to make real change, but on the other hand, He expressed little hope that the task force would be effective under the leadership of the Biden administration.

“The current administration has not even taken the leadership to address the seriousness of the threat…It's not serious,” Martz told DCNF.

Mr. Maltz has worked with thousands of families who have been and continue to be affected by the fentanyl and opioid epidemic. Addressing this issue should not be about taking political sides, but addressing the fact that the crisis is bleeding the country, he said.

“This is not a red or blue issue,” Maltz told DCNF. “This is a red, white and blue issue.”

number of Overdose In the United States, cases due to fentanyl and opioid use have nearly quadrupled since 2010, from about 21,000 to more than 80,000.

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