China foreign ministry says it hopes US works with China in 'same direction' on drug control

The Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday that it hoped the United States would work with China in the "same direction" on countering narcotics, after the two countries launched a joint working group to crack down on the spread of fentanyl.

The resumption of China-U.S. cooperation in drug control has not come easily, said Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson at the Chinese foreign ministry, at a regular news conference.

The two countries on Tuesday launched a joint counter-narcotics working group in the first overt sign of cooperation in tackling the spread of fentanyl since late 2019, before bilateral relations between the superpowers soured.