Interview: Washington lacks "any justification" to blame China for U.S. fentanyl crisis, says expert

by Xinhua writers Deng Xianlai, Xu Yuan

WASHINGTON, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The United States blaming China for its domestic fentanyl crisis -- the excuse for additional tariffs -- lacked "any justification," said a U.S. expert.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, William Jones, an international relations expert and former White House correspondent for U.S. publication Executive Intelligence Review, said he did not see "any justification" in the U.S. administration's act of "setting blame on China for the fentanyl problem in the United States."

"They are doing everything, as far as I can see, to reduce the flow of fentanyl," Jones, who has been tracking U.S.-China relations for decades, said of the Chinese government.

China took the lead in including the entire category of fentanyl-related substances in a controlled regulatory list as early as in May 2019, a step conducive to preventing illicit manufacturing, trafficking and abuse of the substance.

Jones said he thinks that China has done things "in whatever way they could" to help the United States deal with its fentanyl crisis.

On March 4, China's State Council Information Office released a white paper titled "Controlling Fentanyl-Related Substances -- China's Contribution," highlighting the country's rigorous control over the chemicals.

"China has achieved notable successes in in-depth cooperation with countries concerned, including the United States, in addressing problems with fentanyl-related substances and their precursors," the white paper said.

As far as the United States is concerned, Jones said that the fentanyl issue is "a red herring" used by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to pass to others what should otherwise be the U.S. government's responsibility to solve its own problem.

Claims that China has "in any way supported" the exacerbation of the fentanyl problem in the United States are unjustified, Jones said, adding that China is "being used as a scapegoat." Enditem

(Xinhua reporter Hu Yousong also contributed to this story.)