China has always attached importance to and actively participated in international and regional cooperation on drug control, Minister of Public Security Jia Chunwang said here Monday.

Jia made the statement in an interview prior to the China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand Ministers' Meeting on Drug Control scheduled for August 28.

Jia, also director of the National Narcotics Control Commission, said that narcotics control is a global issue and international cooperation should be enhanced. China always upholds that crack- down on drug-related crimes is the common responsibility of countries where drugs are produced, consumed or transported through.

To tackle the drug issue in the "golden triangle" area, China and surrounding countries have exerted arduous efforts and yielded effective results, the police chief said.

Since October, 1992, China has signed a series of memorandums and action plans with Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. In May 1995, a ministerial meeting in Beijing on drug control, attended by ministers in charge of drug control from China, Myanmar, Lao, Thailand, Cambodia and the U.N. International Drug Control Program, passed the Beijing Declaration, which has greatly moved forward the cooperation among the countries.

Referring to the China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand Ministers' Meeting on Drug Control Meeting, Jia said that ministers will conduct in-depth and specific discussions on measures and mechanisms to combat cross-border narcotic-related crimes.

(Xinhua News Agency 08/272001)