China to tighten curb on lethal fentanyl drug

Days after concluding "constructive" trade talks with the United States, China on Monday announced to tighten curbs on the painkiller fentanyl, which Washington considers as the main cause of US-opioid crisis.

Under the new law, the Chinese government will add fentanyl-related substance to their list of controlled from May 1.

"The US is concerned about all variants of fentanyl, and it is all been resolved," South China Morning Post quoted Deputy Director of China's National Narcotics Liu Yuejin, as saying.

Insisting that China should not be blamed for US-opioid crisis, Liu said, "China has strict controls on fentanyl, there has never been a problem from fentanyl produced legally in China ... the illegal cases we cracked in joint operations with US authorities were all results of the lawbreakers ganging up with overseas crime groups."

Fentanyl is often considered as a serious bone of contention between Washington and Beijing.

The US had accused China of being the main source of fentanyl, one kilogram of which can potentially kill 5,00,000 people

US President Donald Trump has often expressed his displeasure over China's inactions to put a check on the drug.

A delegation from China is expected to reach the US for trade talks next week. Beijing and Washington are engaged in intense negotiations in the wake of a trade dispute, which would've originally seen the United States substantively increasing tariffs on Chinese goods from March 1.