China has made great achievements in drug control during the past 10 years, a top Chinese official said in Vienna on Thursday.

Since the UN General Assembly Special Session on Drug Control in 1998, the Chinese government has honored its commitments and obligations in improving drug control regulations, said Meng Hongwei, China's vice minister of Public Security.

On behalf of the Chinese government, Meng introduced China's efforts on drug control at the high-level segment of the 52nd Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna.

"The annual growth rate of new heroin addicts has decreased to 4.6 percent, with the proportion of young abusers under the age of 35 falling to 51 percent and the rate of HIV patients infected through needle-sharing plummeting to 38.5 percent," Meng said.

Meng said the Chinese government attaches great importance to drug control legislation and has also established advanced rehabilitation centers.

As for drug-related crimes, Meng said that "since 1998, a total of 956,000 drug-related criminal cases have been cracked, with a seizure of 73.2 tons of heroin, 78.5 tons of methamphetamine, 15.7 tons of opium and 9,162,000 tablets of ecstasy."

China also has established a specialized national narcotics control intelligence institution, Meng said.

Moreover, Meng said, the Chinese government has persisted on strict administration of precursor chemicals and taken strict measures against smuggling and illicit trading of precursor chemicals.

"Between 2005 and 2008, a total of 6,340 tons of precursor chemicals were seized and attempts of illicit exporting of 5,053 tons of precursor chemicals were stopped," he said.

Meng said that the Chinese government has always been active in promoting cooperation on drug control with the international community.

(Xinhua News Agency March 12, 2009)