According to recent reports, FBI Director Kash Patel traveled to China last week to address fentanyl and law enforcement concerns. The trip followed a summit between the U.S. and Chinese presidents, during which both leaders praised the “consensus” reached on these issues.
Reports stated that the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation flew into Beijing on Friday and stayed for about a day. He held talks with Chinese officials on Saturday, the person added.
U.S.-China Agreement on Fentanyl and Trade
U.S. President Donald Trump halved the tariffs on Chinese goods imposed as a punishment over the flow of fentanyl to 10% after reaching the agreement during last month’s talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Xi will work “very hard to stop the flow” of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is the leading cause of American overdose deaths, Trump told reporters after the talks.
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 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.
China’s Response
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 U.S. soybean 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.
(With inputs from Reuters)
