Repaying the disgrace with fentanyl
Published: 11 Dec. 2024, 19:00
CHUN IN-SUNG
The author is the international news editor of the JoongAng Ilbo.
“All it took was $3,600 and a web browser,” Reuters reported in July. Journalists contacted sellers to penetrate the supply chain of fentanyl, “the worst drug in human history” that killed 76,000 people in America in 2022. They secured enough raw material and equipment to manufacture 3 million finished products and chronicled the entire process in the article.
The first step in fentanyl trafficking was to secure “precursors,” the essential ingredients. China is the biggest producer of precursors. When fentanyl addiction shook America in the 2010s, then-President Donald Trump demanded China to strengthen regulations. In May 2019, China announced measures to control 25 types of fentanyl and two types of precursors. Soon after, a “detour” was created. Mexican drug cartels smuggled precursors from China, synthesized fentanyl and sold to the United States.
Reuters reporters confirmed the loopholes in surveillance by recreating the “toxic triangle” of China, Mexico and the United States. They sent out 16 orders for precursors to sellers on Telegram, and 12 of them safely arrived in the United States and Mexico in packages disguised as cosmetics and other items. Seven of the eight confirmed manufacturers were Chinese. It means that importing precursors from China was still possible.
On Nov. 25, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would impose a 10 percent additional tariff on China on the first day in office. The reasoning is to punish China for negligence in controlling fentanyl. There are rumors that he is also preparing sanctions on Chinese banks, for the “allegation” of helping money laundering for drug dealers. Of course, China claims that they are “falsely accused.” In fact, China has not been completely idle. In September, China imposed additional controls on seven fentanyl-related substances. With a large-scale crackdown in the first-half of the year, the Chinese President is keeping the promise he made to U.S. President Joe Biden.
However, America’s distrust over China still remains. China is rather responsible for it. China considers the Opium War (1839-42) the most humiliating part of history for its surrender to the Western powers, and the laws on drugs are very strict, with offenses leading to death penalty. Nevertheless, China has been passive in regulating overseas sales of fentanyl and precursors and used fentanyl control as a bargaining chip with the United States.
Therefore, conspiracy theories spread among American politicians that China is paying back the humiliation of the Opium War with fentanyl. Just as the aftermath of the Opium War 180 years ago was not limited to England and Qing China, the fentanyl war between the United States and China, with tariffs used as a weapon, would shake the global economic order as well as the two countries. Is Korea ready to overcome the crisis?
The author is the international news editor of the JoongAng Ilbo.
“All it took was $3,600 and a web browser,” Reuters reported in July. Journalists contacted sellers to penetrate the supply chain of fentanyl, “the worst drug in human history” that killed 76,000 people in America in 2022. They secured enough raw material and equipment to manufacture 3 million finished products and chronicled the entire process in the article.
The first step in fentanyl trafficking was to secure “precursors,” the essential ingredients. China is the biggest producer of precursors. When fentanyl addiction shook America in the 2010s, then-President Donald Trump demanded China to strengthen regulations. In May 2019, China announced measures to control 25 types of fentanyl and two types of precursors. Soon after, a “detour” was created. Mexican drug cartels smuggled precursors from China, synthesized fentanyl and sold to the United States.
Reuters reporters confirmed the loopholes in surveillance by recreating the “toxic triangle” of China, Mexico and the United States. They sent out 16 orders for precursors to sellers on Telegram, and 12 of them safely arrived in the United States and Mexico in packages disguised as cosmetics and other items. Seven of the eight confirmed manufacturers were Chinese. It means that importing precursors from China was still possible.
On Nov. 25, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would impose a 10 percent additional tariff on China on the first day in office. The reasoning is to punish China for negligence in controlling fentanyl. There are rumors that he is also preparing sanctions on Chinese banks, for the “allegation” of helping money laundering for drug dealers. Of course, China claims that they are “falsely accused.” In fact, China has not been completely idle. In September, China imposed additional controls on seven fentanyl-related substances. With a large-scale crackdown in the first-half of the year, the Chinese President is keeping the promise he made to U.S. President Joe Biden.
However, America’s distrust over China still remains. China is rather responsible for it. China considers the Opium War (1839-42) the most humiliating part of history for its surrender to the Western powers, and the laws on drugs are very strict, with offenses leading to death penalty. Nevertheless, China has been passive in regulating overseas sales of fentanyl and precursors and used fentanyl control as a bargaining chip with the United States.
Therefore, conspiracy theories spread among American politicians that China is paying back the humiliation of the Opium War with fentanyl. Just as the aftermath of the Opium War 180 years ago was not limited to England and Qing China, the fentanyl war between the United States and China, with tariffs used as a weapon, would shake the global economic order as well as the two countries. Is Korea ready to overcome the crisis?
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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