Greater intl cooperation called for in drug fight

Chinese and foreign officials called for further international cooperation in the fight against drugs and related crimes at the 14th Ministerial Meeting on the Memorandum of Understanding on Drug Control in the Greater Mekong Subregion, held on Wednesday in Beijing.

The Mekong memorandum, aimed at addressing drug challenges in the region, was signed 30 years ago by China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Wednesday's ministerial meeting approved the revised Subregional Action Plan, the Beijing Declaration and a China-proposed initiative to step up the fight against synthetic drugs in particular.

The Chinese initiative also proposed to upgrade the memorandum by establishing three working groups prioritizing drug prevention education, chemical control and forensic drug analysis.

Jeremy Douglas, regional representative of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said the signatories are working in collaboration to address the security and governance challenges in the region, which is centered in the Golden Triangle, comprising parts of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.

In light of the recent developments in the synthetic drug market in the region, the officials at the meeting focused on discussions about synthetic drugs and associated crimes, he said.

According to Douglas, drug production in the Golden Triangle has witnessed a paradigm shift toward synthetic varieties over the past six to seven years. Production in Southeast Asia even exceeded the demand for a certain amount of time, and groups involved in organized crime pushed the market by increasing supply and lowering prices, he said.

Tsang Wai-hung, vice-commissioner of China National Narcotics Control Commission, said that over the past 30 years, countries in the region have managed to build closer cooperation. China's Ministry of Public Security is working closely with its counterparts in neighboring countries to tackle cross-border crimes, including those related to drugs and online scams, he said.

Tsang also said the US is abusing its power by imposing sanctions on some Chinese enterprises, accusing them of unregulated use of certain chemicals.