China yesterday announced the arrests of five men suspected of trafficking nearly 300 kilograms of drug.

　　The arrests, which took place in the Philippines and China last month, were the result of joint investigative work between the two countries, said Luo Feng, deputy director of the National Narcotic Control Commission.

　　"The success of the case shows clearly the affirmative attitude of the Chinese government and its law enforcement agencies as well as their determination to solve more and more serious drug problems," said Luo, who is also vice minister of public security.

　　In 2003, the number of registered drug addicts hit 1.05 million, with 643,000 of them being heroin abusers, Luo said. Almost three quarters were under 35 years old, mostly unemployed, migrant workers or farmers, he said.

　　The number of those taking ecstasy, ketamine and other drugs keeps increasing, according to the government.

　　Official estimates have put the actual number of regular drug users at more than 4 million, while state media have said that the crisis is costing the country billions of dollars a year.

　　"Serious drug problems are causing big losses to the national economy," Luo said. "The drug epidemic is not only a social problem, but also an important political issue concerning national security and the prosperity of the Chinese people."

　　More than half of China's 50,000 officially known carriers of HIV were infected through intravenous drug use, he said. China has been working with neighboring Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand to crack down on smuggling.

　　Within China, the southern province of Guangdong remained the biggest producer of methamphetamines. Provincial authorities seized more than 5,000 kilograms of the drug last year. Methamphetamine production has expanded from Guangdong and Fujian to more than 20 provinces and cities inland, Luo said.

　　In the joint case with the Philippines, Filipino authorities said that they got a tip from their Chinese counterparts about a shipment of methamphetamines that arrived in a warehouse in Bulacan province.

　　In the February 10 bust, 296 kilograms of the drug, with a market value of 100 million yuan (US$12 million), were seized.

　　Four men were arrested in China, while the fifth was taken into custody in Manila, Luo said. All are Chinese.

　　Luo said Chinese authorities determined that the men were part of a network that stretched across Fujian to Laos and the Philippines.

　　Meanwhile, China said it is ready to sign an anti-drug cooperation agreement with five member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

　　As a regional cooperation mechanism, the SCO was established in 2001. It comprises China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

　　Yang Fengrui, director of the drug control bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, said China might also sign anti-drug agreements with Iran and Russia.

　　Although Europe and North America were the major destinations of drugs produced in the Golden Triangle, China still faces a major drug problem.

　　Statistics from the United Nations show that the yearly opium yield in the Golden Triangle reached 3,600 tons last year and was expected to exceed 4,000 tons this year.

　　(AP/Xinhua)