On July 31, the United States and the People’s Republic of China held a senior official meeting as part of the Counternarcotics Working Group in Washington, DC. Launched in January 2024 following President Biden and President Xi’s decision to resume bilateral cooperation on counternarcotics, the U.S.-PRC Counternarcotics Working Group is a key mechanism for coordinating bilateral efforts to counter the global manufacturing and trafficking of illicit synthetic drugs, including fentanyl.
Senior officials from both countries reviewed progress in bilateral counternarcotics efforts, including recent arrests, and discussed next steps in furthering cooperation on this critical effort. Discussions focused on ways to strengthen coordination on law enforcement actions; disrupt the illicit financing of transnational criminal organization networks; accelerate the scheduling of synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals; address the illicit diversion of precursor chemicals; exchange information on emerging threats; and advance progress in multilateral fora.
Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Jennifer Daskal gave remarks at the senior official meeting, which was co-chaired by White House National Security Council Senior Director for China Sarah Beran and Senior Director for Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime Tiffany Eppelheimer. The interagency PRC delegation was led by Director General of the Narcotics Control Bureau of the PRC Ministry of Public Security Wei Xiaojun and included representatives from the PRC Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Commerce, and General Administration of Customs. Meetings also included representatives from the Department of Justice, including the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Department of Homeland Security, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations; the Department of the Treasury; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Department of State; and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
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