The People’s Republic of China (PRC) announced that they will begin scheduling three essential precursor chemicals used to manufacture illicit fentanyl, thereby subjecting these chemicals to additional regulation and control – a valuable step forward. This marks the third significant scheduling action by the PRC since President Biden met with President Xi and resumed bilateral counternarcotics cooperation with the PRC in November, 2023. This action follows last week’s senior official Counternarcotics Working Group meeting between the United States and the PRC, where the two countries discussed key initiatives, including ways to increase law enforcement cooperation, disrupt the illicit financing of transnational criminal organizations, and accelerate the scheduling of precursor chemicals.
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