Washington: US President Donald Trump has named India, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan among 23 major drug transit or major illicit drug-producing countries, saying that by manufacturing and trafficking illicit drugs and precursor chemicals, these nations have been threatening the US and its citizens' safety.

In a ‘Presidential Determination’ submitted to Congress, Trump said he had identified 23 countries as “major drug transit or major illicit drug producing” nations. These nations are Afghanistan, the Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Burma, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.

Trump delivered the “Major’s List” to Congress, designating these countries as responsible for sourcing and transporting illicit drugs into the US, the White House said. The State Department announced the Presidential Determination of these 23 countries, with five countries — Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, and Venezuela — listed as having “failed demonstrably to make substantial efforts,” calling upon them to improve their counternarcotics efforts.

By manufacturing and trafficking illicit drugs and precursor chemicals, these countries have been threatening the safety of the United States and its citizens, the State Department said in a statement. The State Department clarified that a country's presence on the list did not necessarily reflect its government's counter-drug efforts or level of cooperation with the United States.