BEFORE THE OFFICE OF THE
UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

PETITION FOR RELIEF UNDER SECTION 301
OF THE TRADE ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED
THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA’S
ACTS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES
SUPPORTING ILLICIT FENTANYL TRADE

ON BEHALF OF

FACING FENTANYL, INC.

And Affected Families

A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit

OCTOBER 17, 2024

 


The PRC—its government and companies—is engaged in a devastating and unrelenting attack on the United States

 through the export of illicit fentanyl, a lethal poison.  There is ample literature—objective and unrefuted studies—that demonstrate just how much the PRC’s exports of fentanyl have devastated and continue to devastate America’s economy, communities, and citizens.  By best estimate, over 97 percent of the illicit fentanyl present in the United States originated from the PRC.  Illicit fentanyl is often specifically engineered by PRC entities to kill and kill rapidly, and it is dramatically different that medicinal fentanyl used by hospitals and medical professionals for pain treatment.  Illicit PRC fentanyl is additionally specifically engineered to be odorless and tasteless so it is impossible to detect without testing—which enables its mass distribution and use.  Many individuals consume illicit fentanyl without knowledge (i.e., without realizing that it is included in a product), while others intentionally use fentanyl because of its powerful potency.  Illicit fentanyl is present in approximately 75 percent of all drug deaths annually, and some states have identified even higher rates of death due to illicit fentanyl. For example, in 2022 approximately 90% of drug related deaths in New Hampshire and Washington state involved illicit fentanyl poisoning.


The PRC must be held accountable for continuing mass killings and the economic destruction that its fentanyl-promoting policies are weaking on the U.S. broadly, including in communities and families.  The PRC’s efforts to date—including the recent undertaking to finally control fentanyl chemicals that the PRC was already required to control by international obligations—have been described by industry experts as “little more than a public-relations stunt,” and are insufficient to stop the PRC’s offending practices.  Administration officials have acknowledged that “the PRC can do a lot more,” and it is incumbent of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”) to exercise its authority to ensure that the PRC does do more.