China and US revive drug control talks in lead-up to Blinken trip

Senior drug regulators from both countries discuss cooperation for the first time since Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan

Joint efforts on fentanyl had previously been one of the few areas where the two countries came together

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Fentanyl overdoses kill thousands of people in the US each year. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:00pm, 16 Jun 2023Updated: 9:08pm, 16 Jun 2023

China and the United States resumed talks on drug control cooperation on Thursday, reviving discussions after a 10-month suspension and just days before a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Zhao Junning, deputy director of China’s National Medical Products Administration, met Andi Fristedt, the US Food and Drug Administration’s deputy commissioner for policy, legislation, and international affairs, in Beijing and “exchanged views on cooperation for 2023 and in the future”, according to an NMPA statement.

“Cooperation between Chinese and US drug regulatory agencies not only helps promote regulatory coordination between the two countries, but also lays a solid foundation for global cooperation in the field of drug regulation,” the statement quoted Zhao as saying.

“We hope that both sides can work together to put the cooperation plan into practice, so as to better protect and promote public health.”

According to the statement, Fristedt said she was happy with previous cooperation outcomes and “looks forward to more cooperation in the future”.

Beijing suspended the cooperation with Washington in August in retaliation for a visit to Taiwan by then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Before Pelosi’s visit, cooperation on drug control, in particular on fentanyl, had been a key area of the relationship despite other tensions between the two countries.