López Obrador responds to the Chinese government on fentanyl: "If it is not produced in China, where is it produced?"

The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, during his morning conference this Monday. José Méndez (EFE)

The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, responded on Monday to the Chinese government's position on the production of fentanyl, after the Administration led by Xi Jinping assured that the so-called illegal trafficking of the synthetic drug between the two countries did not exist. .

"If it is not produced in China, where is it produced?" The Mexican president questioned at his press conference.

López Obrador has assured that so far they do not have a formal response from the Chinese Executive to the letter in which they asked Xi Jinping to act against the production of the synthetic drug "for humanitarian reasons."

The accusations by the US Republican wing of Mexico for the fentanyl crisis have fueled the exchange of accusations between the two countries.

The discussion has led in recent weeks to López Obrador affirming that the synthetic opioid was produced far from his border, in China.

An example of the constant discussion were the words of US Senator Linsey Graham, who pointed out a few days ago that large areas of Mexico were controlled by criminal organizations, going so far as to classify the country as a "narco-state."

López Obrador was quick to respond to the statements and asked that the US politician use his influence in the Senate to expand control over the arms trade and the distribution of fentanyl.

The debate touched on China when López Obrador pointed out that the drug comes from Asia, and stressed that 86% of those imprisoned for drug trafficking in the US are citizens of there.

"Fentanyl is not produced in Mexico, but we want to help," said López Obrador.

The discussion, which has revolved around the comments of US Republicans, has led the Mexican president to criticize what he considers a certain US interventionism in Mexico.

The Republican wing has tried in recent years to label Mexican cartels as "terrorist" groups, a move that empowers the US military to combat them.

China – the US's greatest geopolitical and commercial rival – has tried to assume responsibility for the crisis over the use of opioids that left more than 107,000 deaths in 2021 in the North American country.

In his statement, he defended that the US must face its own problems, and reiterated his support for Mexico.

"China firmly supports Mexico in defending its independence and autonomy," an official statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry could be read.

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