China Says No Illegal Fentanyl Trafficking With Mexico, Blames U.S. Instead

The government of China said Thursday that the country is not involved in any illegal fentanyl trafficking with Mexico. It added that Mexico's government had not notified China of any seizures of the precursor chemicals used to make the powerful drug.

The statement came after Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help in halting chemicals from China used by Mexican drug cartels to produce fentanyl illegally, the Associated Press reported.

Lopez Obrador made the plea on Tuesday after being pushed by the United States to stop the illegal trade, which drives skyrocketing records of overdose deaths in the U.S.

Similar to the Mexican president's statement, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said the root cause of overdose lies in the United States itself, adding that "the problem is completely made in the U.S."

Mao noted that the U.S. should "face up to its own problems and take more substantiative measures" when it comes to strengthening supervision and decreasing the demand.

U.S. officials have pressured Mexico and China to do more to stop the trade in the synthetic opioid following reports of 70,000 overdose deaths per year in the country.

The United States said in 2021 that Chinese traffickers started to export precursor chemicals to Mexico after China began strictly controlling fentanyl.

Mexican drug cartels then manufactured the drug and trafficked the illegal fentanyl pills north across the border. However, the Mexican president has denied that fentanyl is being produced in his country.

Mexico Asks China to Curb Fentanyl Trafficking

In his letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador criticized the "rude" efforts of the United States to reduce drug trafficking, the AP reported.

According to the Mexican president, fentanyl is America's problem that stems from "a lack of hugs" in American families. Lopez Obrador also complained about the "rude threats" made by American lawmakers regarding the drug trade.

The Mexican president was unhappy with the demands in the U.S. to label Mexican drug cartels as terrorist groups. Many conservatives in the Republican Party have voiced support for sending U.S. troops to put down the drug gangs in Mexico.

"Unjustly, they are blaming us for problems that largely have to do with their loss of values, their welfare crisis," Lopez Obrador wrote to Xi in the letter.

He added that "these positions are in themselves a lack of respect and a threat to our sovereignty, and moreover they are based on an absurd, manipulative, propagandistic and demagogic attitude."

After venting, Lopez Obrador finally brought up China's exports of fentanyl precursors. He asked the Chinese president to help cease shipments of chemicals that Mexican drug cartels buy from China.

U.S. Fentanyl Overdose

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid considered to be 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the powerful drug has become a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the U.S.

Most recent cases of fentanyl-related overdose are linked to illegally manufactured fentanyl, which is in different forms, including liquid and powder.

Many people may not be aware that their drugs are laced with fentanyl. More than 150 people reportedly die daily due to overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Mexico's President Seeks Help From China to Stop Fentanyl Imports -From Al Jazeera English