New restrictions in China on the synthetic opioid, fentanyl take effect today. Pharmaceutical fentanyl was developed as a pain management treatment for cancer patients, but its powerful properties mean it's a popular candidate for abuse. CGTN's Cui Hui'ao spoke with an official from the Ministry of Public Security about his hopes for the measures.

China is cracking down on all types of the synthetic opioid, fentanyl, a strong and sometimes fatal drug. The measures which take effect on Wednesday aim to plug the loopholes where manufacturers could avoid legal recourse by simply tweaking the drug. To enforce the new restrictions, China's Narcotics Control Bureau under the Ministry of Public Security has laid out a number of concrete steps, including inspection.

YU HAIBIN, DIVISION DIRECTOR NARCOTICS CONTROL BUREAU, MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY "We will inspect those with the capability to produce the substance, including chemical industrial parks, bio-chemical parks, pharmaceutical companies, and R&D institutions. Online transactions of raw chemical materials will be closely monitored too."

Apart from inspection, the bureau will further cooperation and info-sharing with Chinese Customs and postal services in a bid to build a triple line of defense to prevent fentanyl being trafficked overseas.

CUI HUI'AO BEIJING "Fentanyl abuse has become a global problem in recent years, particularly in the U.S., where the number of overdose deaths has surged 45% in just last three years. The Trump administration has blamed China for contributing to its fentanyl crisis, an allegation that China's Public Security Department adamantly denies."

Yu says a lack of supervision, prevalent drug culture, and over-prescription of opioid drugs are the main cause of America's fentanyl crisis. In fact, China has been cooperating a lot with the US in this area, specifically with its Customs and Immigration Department, as well as its Drug Enforcement Administration. In 2017, they worked together to solve a pair of trafficking cases.

YU HAIBIN, DIVISION DIRECTOR NARCOTICS CONTROL BUREAU, MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY "The trafficking of fentanyl drugs cannot be addressed by a single country alone. It's mostly through communications on the internet and the dark web, transactions through bitcoin and MoneyGram, and transferred in international parcels."

This is why Yu says international cooperation is the only path to rein in fentanyl-related crime. He believes tackling both the supply and demand side of the problem will bring a solution closer. Cui Hui'ao, CGTN, Beijing.