According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “the designation is unfounded and malicious in nature”.

“The Chinese government attaches great importance to drug control and to date has classified 456 types of substances as controlled under its laws related to this supervision, making it one of the countries with the most narcotics under surveillance in the world and with the strictest controls,” spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

According to the spokeswoman, a total of 38 precursor chemicals are listed as controlled substances in China, 14 more than in the United Nations classifications.

“China is a model of global drug governance, it is the country that is implementing its anti-drug policies in the strictest and most comprehensive manner, and this is widely recognized by the international community,” she added.

On the other hand, she stressed that the United States represents less than five percent of the world’s population and consumes 80% of opioids globally.

“It is among the countries with the highest demand for narcotics and has no right to criticize the control work carried out by China,” she emphasized.

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