The ups and downs of United States (USA)-China relations in recent years also affect the cooperation process at the global level. The parties have recently focused on dialogue and cooperation. For example, on January 30, 2024, officials from the two countries met to develop a joint effort to stop the flow of fentanyl entering the United States. The two-day meeting was the first meeting for a new narcotics working group. One of the focal points of the discussions has been fentanyl, the synthetic opioid that has become popular in the United States, and especially the components of this drug produced in China.[1]
When Chinese President Xi Jinping meets US President Joe Biden outside San Francisco in November 2023, he decided to restart cooperation in several areas, including the drug trade. The agreements were considered small progress in a relationship with significant differences on issues such as trade and technology.[2]
The US has asked China to do more to limit exports, especially of chemicals that are largely processed in Mexico. “We have reached a common understanding on the work plan for the working group,” Wang Xiaohong, China’s Minister of Public Security, said at the opening ceremony of the working group, adding that the parties had held in-depth and pragmatic discussions.[3]
White House Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Jen Daskal, who heads the American delegation, stated that Biden “sent a high-level delegation to emphasize how important this issue is for the American people.” China used to be a major supplier of fentanyl and restricted it in 2019. The USA expressed its satisfaction with this step of China. Today, the United States is asking Beijing to stop exporting components known as “precursors.”[4]
China has previously rejected US requests for assistance at a time of deteriorating bilateral relations, often stating that the US should solve its internal problems and not burden China with them. Official talks between the two countries were officially suspended in 2022 due to a visit to Taiwan by China’s then US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Frozen relations began to thaw in the run-up to the Biden-Shi meeting in November 2023. In October, a US Senate delegation raised the issue of fentanyl during a visit to Beijing, to which China responded positively.[5] Recall that the US Department of Commerce imposed sanctions on the Criminal Science Institute of the Chinese Ministry of Human Rights. China refuses to discuss cooperation unless these sanctions are lifted.
The US has agreed to lift sanctions for cooperation on fentanyl. In a speech in January 2024, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that the unilateral unblocking of sanctions had been agreed. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that this was “an appropriate step to take” given China’s commitments on the trafficking of fentanyl precursors.[6]
International cooperation against such global challenges could signal a new paradigm in inter-state relations. The willingness of two great powers to work in coordination against a common threat can be considered a positive development for the international community.
It is known that global security concerns have changed with the collapse of the bipolar system following the Cold War. In this period, it is known that the definition of “security” has expanded and instead of “security of the state”, noteworthy concepts such as “individual” and “society” have started to be securitized. This is because while during the Cold War there was a perception of a threat with clear borders, in the post-Cold War period, a perception of a threat with indeterminate borders came to the fore. This change was mainly caused by economic and technological developments. In short, it can be said that after the Cold War, the main security threats have become less visible and less known than before. Moreover, not only military but also economic, environmental and social dimensions of security have come to the fore.
In this context, it can be argued that supranational security concerns have come to the fore and states are now facing threats where borders are blurred, such as human trafficking, migrant crisis, climate, cyber threats, fraud, arms trafficking, terrorism, ethnic and religious conflicts and drug trafficking. This plays a very functional role in creating unity and cooperation among states, and at the same time, from an idealistic perspective, necessitates a common ground.
In this context, although they are geostrategically engaged in a struggle for global hegemony, the fight against drugs constitutes a ground for cooperation between Washington and Beijing. This is because the US and China are rivals in the global hegemonic system. However, cooperation on fentanyl can be considered a positive development in these tense relations. Cooperation in areas of common interest can also change the course of general relations.
On the other hand, the willingness of these states to show a unity on drugs and a subject that is essentially a health issue, by leaving their differences in the background and compartmentalizing their competition issues, constitutes a remarkable situation in terms of the continuity of the global system and the international structure.
In conclusion, it can be said that the US and China have succeeded in establishing a basis for cooperation on fentanyl. This may mean that Washington and Beijing may find grounds for cooperation in various fields in the ongoing process.
[1] “US and China Launch Talks on Fentanyl Trafficking in a Sign of Cooperation Amid Differences”, Associated Press News, https://apnews.com/article/china-us-fentanyl-opioid-precursor-b296aeb56a3df511103ff3b2790c6450, (Date of Accession: 31.01.2024).
[2] “US and China Talk on Fentanyl Trafficking”, Reuters, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/30/us-china-starts-talks-on-fentanyl-trafficking-amid-tense-relations, (Date of Accession: 31.01.2024).
[3] “U.S.-China Fentanyl Talks Get Off to a ‘Productive’ Start, Security Advisor Says”, CNBC, https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/31/us-china-fentanyl-talks-have-a-productive-start-security-advisor-says.html, (Date of Accession: 31.01.2024).
[4] “U.S. and China Launch Talks to Stem Flow of Fentanyl, in Rare Sign of Cooperation”, Time, https://time.com/6589991/us-china-fentanyl/, (Date of Accession: 31.01.2024).
[5] Aynı yer.
[6] “US and China Launch Talks on Fentanyl Trafficking in a Sign of Cooperation Amid Differences”, Associated Press News, https://apnews.com/article/china-us-fentanyl-opioid-precursor-b296aeb56a3df511103ff3b2790c6450, (Date of Accession: 31.01.2024).
