Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel visited China over the weekend to discuss fentanyl trafficking before the country unveiled new steps it is taking against the problem, according to Reuters.
The director arrived in Beijing on Friday and met with Chinese officials the next day amid the Trump administration’s efforts to stop deadly drugs from flowing into the U.S., the outlet reported, citing two people familiar with the trip. China will now tighten regulation and oversight of drug-related chemicals to protect the United States and other countries, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Monday.
The FBI’s press office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment amid an ongoing government shutdown.
Trump announced in October that Chinese President Xi Jinping is committed to helping the U.S. crack down on fentanyl in exchange for Trump relaxing tariffs. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) maintains that America’s fentanyl crisis is the U.S. government’s fault, while the Trump administration accuses it of failing to take responsibility.
The U.S. government has long flagged China as a top source of fentanyl entering America, alleging that it often passes through Mexico. Mexican authorities extradited an alleged Chinese drug lord to the U.S. in October on charges of helping Mexican cartels flood the U.S. with cocaine and fentanyl.
Fentanyl overdose is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45, the Drug Enforcement Administration said in 2022. Deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids fell from 76,282 in 2023 to 48,422 in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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