The new Senate's new draft tries to approach the Fentanil flow in the US

By Didi Tang, Associated Press

Washington (AP) – In a rare bipartid movement, two senators have introduced legislation in the last attempt to fight the flow of fentanel and its precursors in the United States, Mexico and other borders – A reason why President Donald Trump gave for his new rates.

In taxation taxes or imports to imports from Mexico, Canada and ChinaTrump says these countries have not been able to draw fentanil traffic in the US, among other issues. Governments in these nations say they cooperated in this regard, and Trump said on Thursday that he They had postponed rates For one month for most of the goods in Mexico following a discussion with the president of the country.

The draft law does not connect the tariffs with smuggling with Fentanil, but is looking for the extended authority to sanction Chinese entities held by the state or state, including banks, involved in financing foreign opioid traffic. The measure would also cause the US government to follow several chemicals that can be used to make methamphetamine.

The legislation was introduced on Thursday by Senator Jim Risch, R-Odaho, who is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations and Senator from New Hampshire, Jeanne Shaheen, the best democrat.

Risch called China “the largest source of fentanil and synthetic opioid precursors in Mexican cards” and accused the Chinese government of supporting the activity.

“These opioids then meet our South border and kill over 100,000 Americans every year. This must end, and the perpetrators must be held accountable, ”said Risch.

Shaheen said the US should “use each tool at our disposal to reduce the flow of fentanel.”

She said that China is “the main provider of fentanyl precursors who feed this epidemic and has not done enough to reduce the export of these chemicals to Mexican transnational criminal groups trying to draw fentanil in the USA.”

Liu Pengyu, the spokesman of the Chinese Ebassy in Washington, accused the US of spreading “all kinds of lies” on the fentanyl issue.

“We are willing to achieve pragmatic cooperation with the United States based on equality and mutual respect, but we firmly oppose the United States using the fentanyl issue to apologize, threat and blackmail,” Liu said.

Last year, a report By a special Committee of the Chamber, focused on combating the Chinese government has said that Beijing feeds the US fentanyl crisis by subsidizing the manufacturers used to do the medicine outside the country.

The Chinese government says it has taken several steps, including “Hard striking against Fentanil offenses”, “Applying strict control over the precurious substances related to fentanel” and “promoting the global governance of fentanel substances”.

In June, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security said that the police arrested a suspect identified by American law enforcement in a case involving a complicated network and drug laundering network in China, Mexico and the US. The suspect would have run a car sales business in the US engaged in illegal transactions in foreign currency.

In the US, the drug application administration found that the precursors and fentanel equipment for the manufacture of pills were flowing from China to Laboratories in Mexico, which made the Fentanil powder and pills. Da said that drug money was washed through Chinese underground banks.

The latest Trump administration rates on Chinese goods threatens to disrupt cooperation in this regard, as Beijing is upset that Trump connects smuggling with Fentanil.

“The US, not everyone else, is responsible for #Fentanylcrisis in the US,” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. “In the spirit of humanity and goodwill towards the American people, we have done robust measures to help the US.”

Several US movements to pressure China with higher rates would not “undermine only our opposite dialogue and cooperation,” said the ministry.

Originally published: March 6, 2025 at 14:57 East