Senator Maggie Hassan said leaders in China are making progress toward stemming the illicit flow of fentanyl into the U.S. She indicated some headwinds, however.
Fresh off of a congressional delegation trip to East Asia, Hassan applauded Chinese efforts to further classify components of fentanyl as controlled substances.
"In New Hampshire, where we are losing almost 500 Granite Staters to the opioid epidemic, 80 percent of the opioid deaths come from fentanyl," Hassan said.
While calling the overall trip productive, Hassan said there was another facet of conversations with China.
"Their suggestions that perhaps our democracy wasn't working well and it might be a reason for them to be able to make the case that their way of doing things -- their form of government -- is better," said Hassan.
Hassan said political and business leaders in the region also expressed concern about what they see as a haphazard U.S. foreign policy.
“They are concerned about what seems to be a relative haphazard engagement and/or foreign policy right now,” Hassan said. “They are looking for sustained, consistent, strategic engagement from this country and I think that’s something we need to work on here at home.”
