Ricketts, Colleagues Press Secretary Blinken to Hold China Accountable for Fentanyl Crisis

May 17, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) released the following statement after sending a letter with five colleagues to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressing him to hold China accountable for its role in the opioid epidemic:

“The U.S. Ambassador to China should be standing up for American lives, not parroting Chinese Communist Party (CCP) talking points,” said Senator Ricketts. “Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for people aged 18-45 and the CCP has refused to take steps to stop the production of precursors that continue to kill Americans. The Biden administration must get serious about holding them accountable – immediately.”

Read the full letter HERE.

BACKGROUND

The U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, Nicholas Burns, recently made the inaccurate claim that, “Beijing is not contributing to [the fentanyl] problem.” China is the largest source of precursor chemicals to fentanyl.

The letter, led Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), urges the Biden administration to implement new sanctions against Chinese officials and companies involved in the production of fentanyl precursors. 

Other signers of the letter include Senators Mike Braun (R-IN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Rick Scott (R-FL).

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