Picture of sub-forum on international drug control cooperation. Photo: China’s Ministry of Public Security

As synthetic drugs and increasingly sophisticated transnational criminal networks pose new challenges to global drug control, a senior Chinese official on narcotics control called for countries to strengthen their determination to fight drug problems, pursue a comprehensive and balanced drug control strategy, share responsibilities and strengthen practical cooperation, while rejecting attempts to politicize, weaponize or instrumentalize drug issues.

The call, made at the 2026 Conference of the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in Lianyungang, reflects China's push for a more coordinated and pragmatic approach to global drug governance, as emerging technologies and the growing convergence of drug trafficking, telecom fraud, money laundering and other organized crimes make cross-border cooperation more urgent than ever.

The fifth edition of the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum, themed "Unite to Advance Public Security Governance, Bring Stability to a Turbulent World," opened on Wednesday.

An international drug control cooperation sub-forum was held on the same day, bringing together more than 200 representatives from drug control, police and customs authorities, as well as experts and representatives from international organizations from 44 countries and regions.

The forum focused on emerging threats, trends and challenges related to synthetic drugs, as well as possible solutions. Participants noted that the growing spread of synthetic drugs has become a serious global public health and security challenge.

Speaking at the sub-forum, Wei Xiaojun, executive deputy director of the office of the China National Narcotics Control Commission and head of the Ministry of Public Security's narcotics control bureau, outlined the emerging drug problems that are threatening the world. The first - methamphetamine - is rapidly expanding beyond its traditional markets, with production and abuse spreading from North America, East and Southeast Asia to South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Oceania, with the situation worsening in some regions.

The Golden Triangle remains the world's largest source of methamphetamine. In 2024, East and Southeast Asia accounted for nearly half of global methamphetamine seizures, while seizures in the region reached a record 349 tons in 2025, up 48 percent year on year, said Wei.

Apart from methamphetamine, Wei said, another problem is the growing diversion of chemicals that are not subject to international controls. Many of them move through legitimate commercial channels, sometimes across multiple countries, before ending up at illicit drug-production sites. The problem is particularly acute in northern Myanmar, where more than 100,000 tons of chemicals flow into the region each year, enough to potentially support the production of more than 1,200 tons of methamphetamine, according to Wei.

In January, acting on intelligence provided by China, Myanmar authorities carried out five operations that dismantled 13 drug production facilities and seized 2.47 tons of methamphetamine, about 30 tons of ephedrine and more than 1,400 tons of chemicals used in drug production, Wei said.

He added that regulatory gaps and inconsistent enforcement standards across countries have made it difficult to prevent such chemicals and drug-making equipment from being diverted, particularly when shipments are legally exported, routed through third countries or repackaged to obscure their final destination.

Andy Tsang Wai-hung, chairman of the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum Lianyungang, on Wednesday cited the 2026 World Drug Report issued by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to indicate that global drug supplies remain abundant and abuse is on the rise. "We are seeing diverse psychoactive substances, more covert trafficking routes, accelerated spread of synthetic drugs, and escalating risks of drug abuse," said Tsang.

A host of emerging risks are profoundly reshaping the global drug control landscape. In 2024, the number of people using drugs worldwide stood at approximately 331 million, accounting for 6.2 percent of the population aged 15-64, a notable increase from 5.2 percent a decade ago, Tsang noted.

Another growing challenge is the convergence of drug trafficking and telecom fraud, which is giving rise to a more complex transnational criminal ecosystem, Wei said. Citing a UNODC report released in July, he said criminal networks in the Lancang-Mekong region are increasingly combining drug trafficking with online scams, human trafficking and underground banking, while similar highly profitable criminal models are being replicated in other regions.

Meanwhile, organized crime groups are increasingly using artificial intelligence, deepfakes and cryptocurrencies to make drug trafficking and telecom fraud more sophisticated and difficult to trace, said Wei.

A case uncovered by Chinese police in December 2025 illustrates how drug networks are increasingly combining online platforms, cross-border logistics and cryptocurrencies to facilitate the production and trafficking of new psychoactive substances.

According to police, a suspect surnamed Tang operated two websites advertising chemicals to overseas buyers and commissioned producers in different parts of China to manufacture chemicals based on customer orders. The products were then shipped abroad through international freight forwarders, with payments made in cryptocurrency. Police arrested 21 suspects and seized 31.89 kilograms of drugs, 1.01 tons of new psychoactive substances and 15.4 tons of drug-making materials.

They also dismantled a drug production site and a precursor chemical facility and froze 6.92 million yuan ($1.03 million) in funds linked to the case. Tang and several other suspects were later arrested on charges related to drug trafficking, manufacturing and the illegal production and sale of precursor chemicals.

In order to tackle those emerging problems, Wei urged governments to focus particularly on the expanding criminal ecosystem in Southeast Asia, where drug trafficking has become increasingly intertwined with online scams, illegal gambling and money laundering. Tackling such networks, he said, will require closer intelligence sharing, joint cross-border operations and tighter controls on chemicals used in drug production.

Wei also called for greater use of technology, including artificial intelligence, big data, wastewater analysis, hair testing and satellite remote sensing, to identify emerging drug threats and track criminal networks.

Wei proposed at the forum that countries strengthen their determination to tackle the drug problems. Whether a country or region can effectively tackle its drug problem ultimately depends on the strength of its political commitment. Wei said China has long made drug control a priority, carrying out sustained nationwide anti-drug campaigns and targeted operations to curb drug sources and trafficking channels, while stepping up efforts to address synthetic drugs.

China has made steady improvements in the country's drug situation. Over the past five years, China has handled 195,000 drug-related criminal cases, arrested 298,000 suspects and seized 135 tons of drugs. Some 460,000 people have undergone community-based drug rehabilitation, while 4.46 million people have remained drug-free for more than three years.

China has also placed 543 narcotic and psychotropic substances under control, including class-wide controls on fentanyl-related substances, synthetic cannabinoids and nitazenes, while 47 precursor chemicals have been brought under regulation.

Wei urged countries to uphold the international drug-control system built around the three UN drug conventions, while warning against the politicization or weaponization of drug issues. Drug control, he said, should not be used as a pretext to interfere in other countries' internal affairs or to contain and pressure them.

As international drug abuse and crime continue to rise, and with most drugs seized in China originating from overseas, China has strengthened international drug-control cooperation through practical dialogues and exchanges. The country has promoted mutually beneficial cooperation based on equality and mutual trust. For example, China has achieved notable results in in-depth cooperation with the countries concerned, including the US, in addressing problems with fentanyl-related substances and their precursors.

As part of its efforts to promote global drug governance, China has signed intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents on drug-control cooperation with more than 30 countries and unions of countries. It is also advancing the implementation of bilateral exchange and cooperation on precursor chemicals with the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.

Nestor Roncaglia, minister of justice and security of Argentina's Entre Ríos Province and a former chief of the Argentine Federal Police, described drug use as "one of the tragedies of humanity", saying addiction can amount to a form of "chemical slavery."

The way to mitigate that harm, he told the Global Times, is for countries to work together in a coordinated manner and develop a common strategy against what he described as a global scourge.

"It is not only Argentina, not only China, but all countries," Roncaglia said, noting that this is precisely the significance of the forum: bringing countries together to combat such crimes rather than fighting them alone.