The number of drug users in China rose to 2.51 million by the end of 2016, a 6.8 percent year-on-year jump, according to the National Narcotics Control Commission, Xinhua reported.
The former president Donald Trumpsays the U.S. should lead by example in dealing with the illegal drug trade from China, where, he said, accused drug traffickers are executed after speedy trials.
Trump made the remarks in a speech in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, July 8. The speech featured two recurring themes for Trump: His demand for law and order, as well as his admiration for tough governance.
“If you look at countries around the world … the only ones that don’t have a drug problem are the ones that have the death penalty for drug dealers. They are alone, do you understand that? China doesn’t have a drug problemTrump said.
During his speech, Trump recalled asking Chinese President Xi Jinping if his country has a drug problem. “Innocently, I asked if there was a big drug problem in China“, he said himself. And what was the answer? “No, no, no, no, we don’t have a drug problem. Why should we have a drug problem? There is no problem. Drug dealers are punishable by the death penalty. The trial is very fast. So instead of coming to China, they go somewhere else. We’ve had big drug problems over the centuries, but we don’t have a drug problem at all. Now, they don’t trade in China“, said the former American president.
However, there are signs that China does have a drug problem. The number of drug users in China rose to 2.51 million by the end of 2016, a 6.8 percent year-on-year jump, according to the National Narcotics Control Commission, Xinhua reported.
A United Nations human rights agency concluded in a 2015 report that the use of the death penalty for drug-related offenses does not meet international standards.
At least 131 people were executed for drug crimes in 2021, a more than three-fold increase from the previous year, according to a report by the advocacy group Harm Reduction International. The report states that 35 countries use the death penalty for drug offenses, particularly authoritarian countries such as Iran, Vietnam, North Korea and China.
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