US lawmakers propose set of bills to hit China over fentanyl trade

18/12/2024 16:25

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday proposed three bills aimed at cracking down China's role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis, with measures that would set up a U.S. task force to disrupt narcotics trafficking and pave the way for sanctions on Chinese entities.



China is the dominant source of chemical precursors used by Mexican cartels to produce fentanyl, while Chinese money launderers have become key players in the international drug trade, U.S. authorities say.



The proposed legislation would help hold China's ruling Communist Party (CCP) accountable for "directly fueling the fentanyl crisis through its state subsidies of precursors," said the House of Representatives' select committee on China, on which all of the sponsors of the bills sit.



One bill, The CCP Fentanyl Sanctions Act introduced by Democratic Representative Jake Auchincloss, would codify authorities for the U.S. to cut off Chinese companies from the U.S. banking system, including vessels, ports and online marketplaces that "knowingly or recklessly" facilitate shipment of illicit synthetic narcotics.