China has greatly increased the number of mutual legal assistance treaties it has with other nations in recent years. It now has bilateral treaties with more than 20 countries and extradition treaties with three nations. China and the US have been discussing a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement for two years. A senior PRC Customs official indicated in November that China Customs would resume discussions, possibly leading to the signing of an agreement. There is limited heroin production in China, but Chinese officials report that about ten percent of the opium seized by police is domestically produced.
Opium produced in China appears to be mainly for domestic consumption.
According to some reports, small fields of opium poppy have been discovered growing in the northwest province of Xinjiang, in addition to the provinces bordering the Golden Triangle. Cannabis also grows naturally in Xinjiang Province and is cultivated for use in commercial rope manufacturing, as well as for narcotics production. A rapid increase in the availability of road, rail, and air links, coupled with greater individual freedom of travel in China, has expanded the number of possible routes for the movement of illicit drugs in China. Officials say that drug abuse has been discovered in all areas of China. Due to recognition among Chinese officials that drug abuse was more widespread than initially thought, there has been a movement to rapidly increase the number of drug treatment and rehabilitation centers.