The bill introduced in the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, or China's legislature, this week requires authorities to support and assist other countries in opium replacement planting.

    China has already launched opium replacement planting schemes with Myanmar and Laos and other neighboring countries. Rubber, tea and other crops were grown as substitutes.

    Last year, China trained 135 agricultural and medical staff for northern Myanmar and helped to increase planting areas by more than 5,000 mu (about 333 hectares) in the opium planting region.

    The government also sponsored a 5-million-yuan (625,000 U.S. dollars) aid program for opium replacement with Myanmar in 2005.

    With the help of China and the international community, Laos has realized its goal of banning opium production.

    "Supporting other countries' opium replacement planting is conducive to eradicating narcotics in China and its international cooperation in drug control," said Zhang Xinfeng, Vice Minister of Public Security.

    China was experiencing an increase in drug trafficking from the Golden Triangle, an area along the Mekong River delta, including Myanmar and Laos, and the Golden Crescent area in western Asia.

    Almost all the heroin traded illegally in China came from the two regions, Zhang said, adding that drugs from the Golden Triangle were "pouring" in, posing a great threat to the country's drug control efforts.

    The number of drug takers grew 35 percent in the five years since 2000 to 1.16 million in early 2005, according to police data. Police estimates indicate China has more than 700,000 heroin addicts, 69 percent of whom are under the age of 35.

    The draft law stipulates that Chinese police should share information with other countries and international organizations and enhance collaboration in investigations.

    The bill also requires Chinese authorities to share the seizures and the revenues from drug crimes with other countries and regions in operations outside its border. Enditem

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