Strict drug control has always been the position and stand of the Chinese Government. In the history of China, the scourge of illicit drugs has wreaked grave havoc on the Chinese nation. In the era of old China, the Chinese people fought bravely with illicit opium for more than one century, yet they never succeeded in protecting themselves from the scourge of illicit drugs. After the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, the Chinese Government completely resolved the drug problem in just three years, creating a miracle widely acknowledged by the international community. In the late 1970s and the early 1980s when China had just launched reform and applied the opening-up policy, overseas drug traffickers took advantage of China's proximity with the infamous "Golden Triangle" and established trans-boundary routes and channels for drug smuggling into China. As a result, the initial transit drug trafficking resulted in resurface of illicit drugs and later drug consumption in China, led to the recent domestic situation of rapid increase of drug abusers and severed drug problem. In the face of new drug problems, the Chinese Government, with a great sense of responsibility for the country, the nation, the Chinese people and the whole of mankind, has incorporated drug control into the national plan for economic and social development. It has taken a firm position against illicit drugs, adopted all necessary measures and made utmost endeavor to eradicate illicit drugs and protect the well-being of its people. In particular, since 2005, the Chinese Government has, relying on the efforts of its people, mobilized all social resources and launched a people's war against drugs across the country. The five major campaigns, namely drug prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, law enforcement, administration and precursor control, as well international cooperation, have greatly boosted China's anti-drug endeavor and produced remarkable results in effective restrain of heroin problem and reduced harms to the society.

      

Major measures we have taken are as follows:

 

- Improvement of drug control institutions and laws. The Chinese Government maintains the drug control mechanism that features a unified chain of command in governments at various levels, under the coordination of the National Narcotics Control Commission, with identified responsibilities for various departments and extensive participation of all relevant social sectors. The National Narcotics Control Commission is under the State Council, composed of 35 ministry-level central government departments, ministries, commissions and social groups, and oversees the national drug control affairs. Local governments above county level also have their own corresponding agencies. An anti-drug police force is established in the Ministry of Public Security, with a total of nearly 20,000 policemen specially assigned for drug law enforcement. Border police and other relevant government departments in the Customs, Railway, Transportation, Civil Aviation, Forestry, the Food and Drug Supervision and Administration, Industry and Commerce administration also undertake their corresponding law enforcement responsibilities. The Chinese Government has attached great importance to drug control legislation. Drug control provisions are provided in the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administrative Penalties for Public Security and other relevant laws. The State Council has formulated the Regulations on the Administration of Precursor Chemicals, the Regulations on the Control of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and other administrative rules for drug control. In December 2007, the Law of Drug Control of the People's Republic of China was enacted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. A series of local drug control laws and regulations have also been formulated in various provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, which is a powerful legal weapon for the fight against illicit drugs.

 

- Extensive public awareness campaigns on drug control. The Chinese Government has always taken prevention and education on drug control as an effective tool to address the root causes of illicit drugs, and earnestly implemented the Opinions on Nationwide Civil Drug Control Education. In 1998, the Chinese Government organized a national exhibition on drug control, which attracted 1.66 million visitors. China follows an approach of combining intensive publicity in celebrating the 26 June International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking with regular publicity programmes, and combining drug control publicity with the campaigns targeted at HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. There are one million drug control volunteers in China, who are active on the frontline of anti-drug education. Various programmes have been in place including "Keeping Drugs Away from My Home", "Keeping Drugs Away from Schools" and "Keeping Drugs Away from Young People" to bring drug control education into schools, communities, families, public facilities, workplaces and countryside. As a result, the Chinese people now have better knowledge as for how to identify, reject, watch out and control illicit drugs. The annual growth rate of new heroin addicts has decreased from 30% at its peak to 4.6%, with the proportion of young abusers under the age of 35 falling from 82% to 51%.

 

- Proactive correction, treatment and assistance to drug addicts. The Chinese Government maintains that drug treatment and rehabilitation should proceed in a people-oriented way. Taking education and rescue of drug addicts as its top priority, the Chinese Government has worked tirelessly to devise effective drug treatment and rehabilitation methods. The multi-pronged drug rehabilitation system, which includes voluntary, compulsory in closed settings and community-based rehabilitation and methadone maintenance treatment as well as other drug rehabilitation modalities has helped many drug addicts give up drug abuse and reintegrate into the society. A total of 70 integrated drug rehabilitation facilities have been established, that not only provide physical and psychological treatment and rehabilitation, but also assist former drug addicts in returning to the society. Community-based maintenance treatment for opiate substance dependants has been strengthened, with 600 clinics set up nationwide. Treatment fees falling on financially-strapped drug addicts are being reduced or cancelled. By the end of December 2008, China had 1,126,000 registered drug users, including 902,000 heroin abusers and 241,000 new-type drug abusers. Between 2000 and 2007, total of 1.8 million drug addicts went through compulsory treatment and rehabilitation, 178,000 undertook maintenance treatment. Currently, there are 158,000 drug users under the programme of community-based education and supports, and 67,000 registered former heroin addicts remained relapse free for at least three years.

 

- Strict law enforcement against drug crimes. The Chinese Government has taken strict measures under the law in combating drug-related crimes and stern punishment over drug criminals. Interdiction and detection networks have been established in major hotspot border areas along land, water and air routes as well as postal channels, which have resulted in effective reduction of entry of illicit drugs and exit of precursor chemicals. Through strengthened international drug law enforcement cooperation, in collaboration with relevant countries, a number of major transnational criminal drug cases were cracked down involving illicit drug manufacture and trafficking, including the Operations "7.28" and "9.2", with a number of notorious international drug lords arrested. From 1998 up to 2008, total of 956,000 drug-related criminal cases were made, with over 970,000 drug crime suspects detained, and the seizure of 73.2 tons of heroin, 78.5 tons of methamphetamine, 15.7 tons of opium and 9,162,000 ecstasy tablets.

 

- Enhanced control of precursor chemicals. China is a major producer and exporter of chemical products and produces including the 23 precursor chemicals under the control of 1988 UN Convention. The Chinese Government has persisted on strict administration, with timely improvement of the legal framework for precursor control, consistent overhaul campaigns to regulate the production, distribution and administration, and severe punishment over the smuggling and illegal trading of precursor chemicals, which has resulted in effective prevention of drug precursors from diversion into illegal channels. China has actively participated in international precursor control operations under the auspices of the International Narcotics Control Board, including the "Operation Purple", "Operation Topaz" and "Project Prism", and a number of precursor smuggling cases were made jointly with other relevant countries. Between 2005 and 2008, total of 1,083 drug precursor smuggling cases were made and 7,527 administrative violations handled, with 6,340 tons of precursor chemicals seized and attempts of illicit exporting of 5,053 tons of precursors were stopped through international checking mechanism.

 

- Active participation in international cooperation. The Chinese Government has always attached great importance to international drug control cooperation. China supports and actively participates in international drug control efforts. China is a signatory party to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961 and the Convention on Psychotropic Substances 1971, and among the first countries to sign the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988. In addition, we have signed bilateral anti-drug cooperation agreements and MOUs with 18 countries. China has hosted a number of meetings under the drug control mechanism of ASEAN-China, East Asia subregional MOU and Shanghai Cooperative Organization with the aim of enhancing information exchange, judicial cooperation and law enforcement training programmes. In particular China has increased its efforts in the regional alternative development, and invested over RMB 500 million to help the neighboring countries in alternative development of opium cultivation. We are glad to note that the drug situation in the "Golden Triangle" has been much improved, demonstrated by the decrease of 158,000 hectares in 1998 to 29,000 hectares in 2007. The harms of illicit drugs have thus been greatly reduced to the neighbouring countries and the world.

 

In the fight against illicit drugs, China has received strong supports and assistances from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Narcotics Control Board, other countries and international organizations. Here, I would like to extend, on behalf of China National Narcotics Control Commission and the Ministry of Public Security, our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the countries and international organizations that have given China their kind care and supports in the common course of drug control. 

 

The global scourge of illicit drugs is still spreading, with many more countries and regions getting affected, and the figure of drug varieties, drug production and drug addicts constantly on the rise. The drug problem is now a matter crucial to the survival and progress of human beings. Due to this background, China's drug control effort still faces great challenges. The infiltration of illicit drugs from overseas sources is escalating, the problem of drug abuse is unfolding, the relapse rate of heroin addicts remains relatively high, and the number of synthetic drug abusers, mostly young people, is rising quickly. The abuses of traditional drugs, new-type drugs and narcotics, and psychotropic drugs are getting mixed with each other. All these have posed new challenges for China's drug control efforts.

 

In the face of this severe and complex situation, the Chinese Government will unswervingly pursue the policy of strict drug control. Based on the people's war against drugs, our efforts will be further focused on the implementation of the newly stipulated Drug Control Law, with the goal of preserving and reinforcing the effect of heroin control and curbing the spread of new-type drugs abuse, further mobilizing and integrating social resources for an intensified efforts in the fight against drugs. We will roll out anti-drug education programmes on a wider scale so as to raise the anti-drug awareness of the public. We will learn from international experience and improve drug rehabilitation models consistent with China's national conditions so as to reinforce abstinence effect. We will take stern measures against illicit drug manufacture, smuggling and trafficking so as to cut off drug sources to the best extent possible. We will intensify precursor chemical control so as to forestall precursors from spreading into illegal channels. We will faithfully abide by international drug control conventions, develop stronger ties with other countries and international organizations, continue to promote opium alternative development and other technical assistance in northern Myanmar and Lao PDR, and provide necessary support and assistance for relevant countries in drug control fields so as to contribute our due shares to the international drug control endeavor. 

 

The drug menace is a global problem. It requires concerted efforts of all countries. We urge the international community to pay continued attention to the drug problem in the hotspot regions, enhance mutual understanding, trust and support in drug control, and improve the results-oriented international drug control cooperation. The Chinese Government will continue to follow and observe the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, implement fully the mandates identified in the Political Declaration, Action Plans and Guidelines adopted by the 20^th UN General Assembly Special Session on Drug Control in 1998, enhanced drug control, advance the drug control endeavor of all humanity, and make unremitting efforts to ultimately root out illicit drugs.