Biden considers lifting China sanctions for fentanyl cooperation.

The ​Biden administration ​is exploring the possibility‍ of lifting sanctions on a ⁣Chinese police forensics institute in order to gain China’s cooperation in the fight against ‍the fentanyl crisis, according to sources cited by the Wall Street ‍Journal.

During his recent diplomatic visit to Beijing, Secretary of State Antony Blinken proposed the establishment of a working ⁣group between China⁢ and the United States to address the fentanyl issue. However, China has insisted ⁤that the United States remove the police ⁢institute from its export‍ blacklist before engaging‍ in any cooperation. The Biden administration is now considering meeting this demand, as reported⁣ by the Journal.

The Chinese Ministry of⁤ Public‌ Security’s Institute of Forensic Science was blacklisted by the Trump administration over three years​ ago‍ due to its involvement‍ in the surveillance and mistreatment of Uyghur ‍Muslims in Xinjiang province. The sanctions imposed on blacklisted entities⁤ severely restrict their access to ⁢U.S. technology.

Despite the fact that China is ​the primary producer of fentanyl’s ingredients, which are ⁢then⁢ shipped to Mexican cartels for manufacturing and distribution across the U.S.‌ southern border, the U.S. ambassador to China recently denied the country’s ⁢responsibility for the fentanyl crisis.

Fentanyl ‍overdoses have become a leading cause of death‍ in the United States, with approximately 71,000 deaths involving synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, in ⁣2021.

The Biden administration has been actively opposing an amendment to Congress’s annual defense bill that seeks to‍ gather more information on China’s role in the fentanyl crisis.

These discussions reflect the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to foster cooperation with China. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, during her recent visit to China, rejected the‍ idea of “decoupling” from China and instead advocated for measures such as diversifying critical supply chains and implementing targeted national ⁢security ​actions. U.S. special ​envoy on climate John Kerry also​ traveled to China seeking collaboration on climate goals but returned without any concrete agreements.