US hopes to discuss fentanyl with China at APEC summit in November

FILE PHOTO: Reuters journalist Stephen Eisenhammer displays fentanyl precursors at Reuters' office, in Mexico City, Mexico, October 4, 2023. REUTERS/Claudia Daut/File photo

Source: REUTERS

The United States hopes to discuss efforts to limit the spread of fentanyl with China at a November APEC summit, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday.

The official spoke after U.S. President Joe Biden announced at an event in New York that new data showed a 10% year-to-year drop in U.S. deaths from fentanyl.

Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed fentanyl at a California summit last November.

The U.S. wants China to take more action at home to prevent the development of chemicals that can be made into fentanyl, the leading cause of U.S. drug overdoses.

The U.S official was asked whether the United States and China will discuss fentanyl at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru in November.

"I would be very optimistic that we will have this on the agenda," said the official, adding that the two countries have already seen some results.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters