San Francisco Mayor London Breed is calling on Chinese President Xi Jinping to collaborate with the United States in tackling the devastating flow of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has caused a dramatic surge in overdose deaths not only in her city but across the nation. Mayor Breed made this appeal during an interview with Bloomberg TV on Monday, coinciding with the start of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco. Her aim is to restore the once solid trade and development relationship between the two countries, which has been strained due to the fentanyl crisis.
Expressing her concerns, Mayor Breed stated that she would implore President Xi to work with the US government in cutting off the resources being exported from China, which eventually end up in the hands of drug traffickers in the US and Mexico. Her ultimate goal is to combat the pervasive and deadly impact of fentanyl, which has claimed numerous lives in San Francisco and throughout the country.
It is expected that the US and China will announce the formation of a joint working group at the APEC Summit to address the issue of illegal fentanyl imports. This step comes as US President Joe Biden prepares to meet President Xi on Wednesday, marking their first face-to-face meeting in over a year. The US government has consistently pointed to China as the primary source of the ingredients used by Mexican drug cartels to produce fentanyl.
San Francisco has already experienced a distressing spike in drug overdose deaths this year, with 506 out of 620 accidental fatalities attributed to fentanyl. The city is on track to exceed last year's record of 649 unintentional overdose deaths. Mayor Breed emphasized that fentanyl not only poses a significant threat to public health but also hampers the bilateral relationship between China and the United States. She believes that the historical cooperation between the two countries in trade and business should also extend to combating the fentanyl crisis.
Mayor Breed expressed her hope that China and the US can maintain their good relationship, focusing on trade, business growth, and development. She highlighted the urgent need for action, as the impact of fentanyl has been devastating to the American people. The issue has gained further attention due to the prevalence of open-air drug use in San Francisco's streets and public parks. The Tenderloin neighborhood, one of the hardest-hit areas, is just blocks away from the Moscone Center, where world leaders, executives, and numerous foreign journalists have gathered for the APEC Summit.
The plea from Mayor Breed underscores the severity of the fentanyl crisis and highlights the importance of international cooperation in addressing this pressing issue. With the meeting between President Biden and President Xi on the horizon, there is hope that significant strides will be made in combatting the flow of fentanyl and ultimately saving lives.