‘Fruitful results’: China’s top police chief hails joint crackdown with New Zealand against drug trafficking, fraud
- Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong says ‘candid communication’ between security agencies has helped curb narcotics trade
- New Zealand could become ‘valuable’ fentanyl market for Chinese criminal networks, experts have warned
Wang Xiaohong, China’s public security minister, said China and New Zealand achieved “fruitful results” in combating financial crimes, telecoms fraud and narcotics, according to a report by state news agency Xinhua.
“For a long time, the law enforcement departments of both countries have engaged in candid communication and professional, efficient cooperation”, Wang said, according to the report.
“China is willing to work with New Zealand to strengthen pragmatic cooperation in the field of law enforcement and security … and better benefit the people of both countries.”
New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said his country was willing to advance bilateral law enforcement and security cooperation, the report said.
Fentanyl use has recently surged in New Zealand, and the United States has warned that the country was at risk of being targeted by criminal networks as one of the next big markets for fentanyl.
New Zealand and Australia were seen as “highly valuable markets with high profit margins”, according to a press briefing published on the US State Department website on February 15.
Dr Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution, who led the press briefing, identified “Chinese criminal networks that have long been dominant actors in methamphetamine” as part of the forces spreading synthetic opioids.
Opioids, such as codeine, tramadol and fentanyl, are a particular class of drugs that work as pain relievers but have the potential to lead to addiction. While pharmaceutical fentanyl can be prescribed for treating severe pain, it can also be made and used illegally.
According to a report published on the University of Auckland’s website in March, new research has suggested making opioids more widely available for older people and for patients following surgery.
Last month a US bipartisan select committee released a report saying China “directly” subsidises those who make and export fentanyl. Experts said that Beijing encourages the production of precursor chemicals by providing “monetary grants and awards”, including state tax rebates and other financial incentives after the product is exported.
Fentanyl has become the leading cause of drug overdoses in the US, prompting Washington to urge Beijing to stop more fentanyl-related substances from flowing into the country.
