FBI chief visited China to talk fentanyl, law enforcement, sources say
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FBI director Kash Patel’s visit to Beijing was not officially announced by either the US or China.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIJING – Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Kash Patel visited China last week to discuss fentanyl and law enforcement issues, two people familiar with his trip told Reuters, following a summit between the US and Chinese presidents
A person briefed on Mr Patel’s trip said the FBI director flew into Beijing on Nov 7 and stayed for about a day.
He held talks with Chinese officials on Nov 8, the source added.
Mr Patel’s visit to Beijing was not officially announced by either the US or China and is reported by Reuters for the first time.
China’s Commerce Ministry announced on Nov 10 that the country will make adjustments to the catalogue of drug-related precursor chemicals and will require licences for export of certain chemicals to the United States, Canada and Mexico.
China’s Ministry of Public Security, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
US President Donald Trump halved to 10 per cent the tariffs that were imposed on Chinese goods as a punishment over the flow of fentanyl, after reaching the agreement during October’s talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Mr Xi will work “very hard to stop the flow” of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is the leading cause of American overdose deaths, Mr Trump told reporters after the talks.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the details of the fresh consensus would be hashed out through a new bilateral working group. It was unclear whether Mr Patel discussed the new mechanism during his Beijing visit.
The deal signals a shift for Trump officials, who had insisted that punitive measures would remain in place until China proved it was cracking down on fentanyl supply chains.
Chinese officials vehemently defend their record on fentanyl, saying they have already taken extensive action to regulate precursor chemicals used to make the drug, and accuse Washington of using the issue as “blackmail”.
The Xi-Trump deal went beyond fentanyl and included the resumption of US soya bean purchases by China.
For its part, Beijing agreed to pause export curbs unveiled in October on rare earths, elements with vital roles in many modern technologies. REUTERS
