U.S. Senate Majority Leader Wants Washington to Sanction China Over Fentanyl

Chuck Schumer, the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, said on Sunday that he will work to include a bipartisan amendment in an upcoming defense policy bill to sanction China. He stated that this action is due to China's reported role in the production of the synthetic drug fentanyl. According to Reuters, Schumer blamed China for the high levels of fentanyl that U.S. officials say are responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans. He mentioned that this drug comes from manufacturing workshops in China 'with the full acceptance and consent of the Chinese government.' The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to this issue. Beijing had previously accused Washington of using the fentanyl crisis as a pretext to impose sanctions on Chinese companies and has proposed cooperation with other countries to address the drug problem. Chinese state media have repeatedly described addiction and demand for this drug as internal problems of the United States. Schumer said that the amendment, proposed by Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown and Republican Senator Tim Scott, would allow the White House to declare fentanyl trafficking a 'national emergency' and open the door to sanctions. The Biden administration has formed a global coalition to combat fentanyl. The U.S. has sanctioned 17 individuals and entities in China and Mexico for the production and trafficking of narcotics.