Chinese and US officials met in Beijing Tuesday to share strategic intelligence on drug control in a fresh move to tighten bilateral cooperation in this field.

The First Sino-US Narcotics Control Strategic Intelligence Sharing Conference was held in accordance with agreements China and the United States reached at a meeting on law enforcement cooperation in Washington, D.C. in March this year.

An official with China's National Narcotics Control Commission said the two-day meeting will dwell on issues including China-US intelligence sharing, narco-organizations in the "Golden Triangle," precursor chemical control, Ecstasy control, money laundering and proposals for China-US cooperation on drug control.

The US delegation includes officials from the Department of State, the Office of the National Drug Control Policy and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

China and the United States began cooperation on drug control in the 1980s. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on anti-narcotics cooperation in 1987.

In April this year, in cooperation with the DEA and police in Thailand and Myanmar, Chinese police cracked the infamous "3.30" international drug-trafficking case, seizing 356.95 kg of heroin.

(People's Daily October 30, 2002)