A pivotal moment in the fight against the flow of fentanyl is set to take place with the first joint meeting of a U.S.-China working group on fentanyl precursor chemicals scheduled for January 30th in Beijing. This meeting is a key part of the implementation of bilateral cooperation on this effort, according to a senior U.S. official. The U.S. delegation, led by Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Jen Daskal, will include officials from the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, State, and Treasury.

This joint effort is aimed at pursuing law enforcement actions and imposing controls on the precursors, in an effort to combat the leading cause of drug overdoses in the United States. The U.S. official also noted that action was taken by China against Chinese precursor chemical companies around the time of the summit between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping last November.

This follows candid talks between top Chinese and U.S. officials in Bangkok, with an expected call between the two leaders planned for the spring. It is crucial for this issue to be addressed as a multilateral effort, as China has already moved to shut down companies that make illicit chemicals used to produce fentanyl, resulting in fewer seizures at U.S. airports. China has also initiated conversations with Mexico about the issue, emphasizing the importance of international collaboration to combat this epidemic.