Narcotics body urges compliance after sanctions lifted

The nation's top anti-narcotics authority has urged Chinese enterprises to operate in strict accordance with the law after the United States government removed a Chinese institute from its sanctions list.

On Thursday, the US removed the Ministry of Public Security's Institute of Forensic Science, which includes the National Narcotics Laboratory of China, from its "Entity List" and lifted sanctions imposed on it.

The move is being seen as an active contribution to the restart of bilateral counternarcotics cooperation.

The US Department of Commerce added the institute to the list in May 2020, resulting in it being banned from receiving most goods from US suppliers. It also brought anti-drug cooperation between the two sides to a low point.

The China National Narcotics Control Commission issued on Thursday a 12-article notice summarizing the regulatory provisions of Chinese laws and regulations regarding the control of narcotic and psychotropic drugs, and precursor chemicals.

The NNCC notice also reminded relevant enterprises and the public to comply with laws and regulations while engaging in business activities related to non-regulated chemicals and equipment.

While seeking to prevent production, trafficking, and smuggling of narcotic and psychotropic drugs, and precursor chemicals and materials, it warned of the risks associated with selling unregulated chemicals and equipment. Those risks included "long-arm jurisdiction" and entrapment through foreign law enforcement.

The lifting of sanctions followed a summit between President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden in San Francisco on Wednesday. The two presidents agreed to promote and strengthen bilateral dialogue and cooperation in areas such as China-US government talks on AI and the establishment of a working group on counternarcotics cooperation.

The US' decision to remove the institutes from its "Entity List" is primarily due to both sides planning to restart counternarcotics cooperation, which is a key focus of future collaboration, said Chen Wenxin, executive director of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations' Institute of American Studies.

"With the removal of the institute from the list, bilateral cooperation in narcotics control is expected to proceed more smoothly," he said.

Previously, Washington demanded enhanced narcotics control cooperation from China, while at the same "unreasonably" sanctioning Chinese institutes tasked with countering narcotics, which seriously hindered collaboration, he said.

Chen said that the renewed counternarcotics cooperation is also the result of long-term communication initiated by China, and the US must also show a greater willingness to cooperate with China, so as to facilitate the agreement.

He said China has already taken various measures to address the issue of narcotics. A total of 456 anesthetic and psychotropic drugs and two entire classes of substances, including all fentanyl-like substances, were under strict regulation. These measures make China one of the countries with the strictest regulation and control of drugs, he said.

Furthermore, China has been strictly controlling precursor chemicals and materials in line with international conventions and domestic laws, listing 38 types of controlled precursor chemicals, Chen added.

"Cooperation between the US and China on this matter is expected to significantly assist the US in controlling fentanyl and addressing related social problems," he said.

Chen said the NNCC's notice indicates that China has begun taking practical actions in drug control cooperation, as preventing the illegal circulation of narcotic and psychotropic drugs, and precursor chemicals must primarily involve efforts from relevant enterprises.

The notice also provides clear information to these enterprises on domestic and international policies and regulations, signaling China's intention to strengthen efforts in preventing drug-related issues, he said.

yangzekun@chinadaily.com.cn