The unexpected rise of the Chinese fentanyl industry in Mexico.
Illustration by Tim Marrs
In Guadalajara, Mexico, graffiti artists don’t paint murals of Gan Xianbing. Nor do locals pen elegiac Narcocorridos about his exploits, as they do for traffickers like Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. But for the years before his capture in 2018, Gan Xianbing’s success in the city’s drug trade signaled the emergence of a new power player on the scene: the Chinese national.
As Chinese-made fentanyl — a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin — has flooded the U.S. market in rec
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After years of planning and investment, robotaxis are finally hitting the road in China. Accidents and the impact of self-driving vehicles on employment remain concerns, but the government remains committed to developing the industry into a global leader.
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