The United States has repatriated a Chinese national suspected of drug trafficking, a “first” such return in recent years, Beijing’s public security ministry said.
China is the primary origin of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl, a highly potent opioid underpinning a deadly drug epidemic in the United States.
Beijing says it is open to working with Washington on curbing the crisis, although the United States maintains an extra 10% tariff on Chinese goods it says is to limit fentanyl trade.
“This is the first drug-related fugitive repatriated by the United States to China in recent years, marking a new achievement in China-US cooperation on anti-drug law enforcement”, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement on social media.
US immigration authorities followed “clues” shared by China’s narcotics control commission to repatriate a Chinese national surnamed Han, the ministry added.
Han is suspected of “smuggling and trafficking drugs”, the ministry said, adding the handover took place “days ago”. — AFP
