The United States and China traded sharp criticisms at a United Nations meeting on drug control in Vienna, illustrating persistent tensions between the two powers over fentanyl and trade disputes.
At the annual meeting of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, US representative Sara Carter, director of the White House Office of National Drug Policy, accused China of not doing enough to prevent the export of chemical precursors used in the manufacture of fentanyl.
According to her, these substances are produced in large quantities in China and sold to criminal organizations, including drug cartels. She also asserted that insufficient export controls allow some Chinese chemical companies to maintain links with these networks.
Beijing rejected these accusations, calling them false, and accused the United States of irresponsibility in its handling of the opioid crisis.
The discussions between the two delegations also revealed tensions related to other economic issues, including restrictions imposed by China on rare earth exports, which Washington considers detrimental to Western industries.
This diplomatic confrontation comes as US and Chinese leaders are due to meet in China at the end of the month, amid bilateral relations marked by trade, technology and security disputes.
