Gobierno de Mexico

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reads from a letter he sent to Chinese President Xi Jinping requesting help to curb fentanyl smuggling.

Mexico is facing U.S. pressure to stem the flow of illegal drugs across the border. Now Mexico has reached out to China for help stopping fentanyl from reaching that country.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping requests help to curb the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl — as well as precursor chemicals cartels use to make the drug — from China to Mexico.

He complained about what he says are false and disrespectful claims by some U.S. legislators that Mexico hasn’t done enough to stop drug trafficking at the U.S.-Mexico border. But he asked the Chinese leader to provide information including who is shipping fentanyl and in what quantities.

China’s foreign ministry, however, claimed that there is no illegal trafficking of fentanyl from China to Mexico, and echoed López Obrador’s assertion that the U.S. should address its own drug overdose crisis.