WASHINGTON—Today, The Heritage Foundation unveiled a critical report exposing China’s role in fueling America’s fentanyl crisis. The report shifts the focus from Mexico to China’s complicity and provides effective policy solutions to hold the Communist Chinese Party (CCP) accountable. The CCP is actively funding, supporting, and pushing America’s most deadly drug threat in history, where thousands of Americans are harmed annually.  
 
Robert Greenway, Heritage Director of the Allison Center for National Security, stated:  

“Between 2021-2023 more Americans died from opioids than from World War I and the Korean and Vietnam wars combined. It’s long past time to confront the driving force of America’s fentanyl crisis: China.

“For years, the CCP has undermined U.S. interests by providing Mexican cartels the financial and production resources to expand their fentanyl market. Both the Mexican and Chinese governments have repeatedly demonstrated a lack of commitment to better addressing this epidemic.

“The CCP is directly culpable for this crisis and has yet to face consequences. This report reveals the next steps to do so.”   

Below are some of the report’s major findings: 

• Despite being an ocean away, Chinese precursor chemicals serve as the backbone of the supply chain that delivers deadly fentanyl throughout the United States. 

• Chinese pharmaceutical companies and other vendors use marketplaces on the dark web to list and sell illicit narcotics, including the many fentanyl precursor and pre-precursor chemicals.  

• China uses fentanyl negotiations with the U.S. as a “point of leverage” and “relatively low-hanging fruit” to “seek concessions” from the United States and has refused to substantively address the issue with the United States throughout most of the Biden administration’s first term. 

• The money laundering leg of fentanyl trafficking networks shows that China’s role in the fentanyl crisis does not end at Mexico’s ports—it maintains an active presence throughout Mexico and even in the United States.  

• The United States must take the lead in confronting the fentanyl crisis as it lacks good-faith partners in both the Chinese and Mexican governments. The U.S. must implement measures that protect the US trade, financial, and healthcare systems while also deploying U.S. intelligence and law enforcement to target these illicit networks.  

Andrew Harding, Heritage’s Asian Studies Center Research Assistant and co-author of the report, added:  

“Despite its geographic distance, China—not Mexico—has emerged as the primary force behind America’s fentanyl crisis.

“China’s precursor chemicals and money laundering operations have emboldened the Mexican Cartels and poisoned Americans from within. 

“The CCP’s latest offensive against the United States confirms that they remain America’s top adversary and should not be treated lightly by the Biden-Harris administration.”  

Background: 

A recap of Heritage's "Exposing China's Complicity in America's Fentanyl Crisis" panel discussion may be viewed here. 

A newly released Heritage explainer video further exposing America’s fentanyl crisis may be viewed here.