US Senate leader Schumer wants to sanction China over fentanyl

(Patria) - US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will seek to include a bipartisan amendment in upcoming defense policy legislation to sanction China for its alleged role in the production of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, Reuters reported.

Schumer blamed China for much of the fentanyl that US authorities say is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans from overdoses. He said the drug comes from manufacturing sites in China "with the full acceptance and consent of the Chinese government".

"I am going to push for an amendment, bipartisan, to the defense bill that will include a major fentanyl stop and a bill that authorizes sanctions, and we will bring that bill up this week," Schumer told a news conference in New York.

"I hope it passes. I believe it will pass with strong bipartisan support. And it should. It must," he added.

Beijing has previously accused Washington of using the fentanyl crisis as an excuse to impose sanctions on Chinese companies and has offered to cooperate with other countries to solve the drug problem. Chinese state media have repeatedly described addiction and drug demand as domestic problems in the US.
Schumer said the amendment, proposed by Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown and Republican Senator Tim Scott, would authorize the White House to declare fentanyl trafficking a national emergency and open the door to sanctions. "This will make it really difficult for them and we will force them to crack down on the fentanyl coming into the United States," Schumer said.

The measures proposed by the two lawmakers this year would require President Joe Biden to sanction key members of international criminal organizations involved in fentanyl trafficking and allow seized assets to fund law enforcement.