FBI Director Says China Agreed To Curb Fentanyl Precursors

Authored by Catherine Yang via The Epoch Times,

FBI Director Kash Patel said at a press briefing on Nov. 12 that during his recent trip to China, Chinese officials agreed to take significant steps to curb fentanyl precursor exports to the United States.

“That was the sole purpose of my trip to China, to eliminate these precursors, and if successful, we would suffocate the drug trafficking organization’s ability to manufacture fentanyl in places like Mexico,” Patel said.

His one-day trip to China last week was the first such trip by the head of the FBI in a decade.

The trip followed the meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping during which the nations agreed to a trade truce that included Beijing’s commitment to stop illicit fentanyl trafficking to the United States.

Patel said that on the heels of that successful bilateral, “China committed fully” to his engagement on the ground in Beijing “at a level never seen before.”

🚨 BREAKING: In an enormous victory, FBI Director Kash Patel announces the pipeline to create fentanyl has been SHUT DOWN IN MEXICO and worldwide, saving tens of thousands of Americans

“Effective immediately, President Trump has shut off the pipeline that creates fentanyl that… pic.twitter.com/G4tj07C3n0

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 12, 2025

The meeting took place at the headquarters of China’s Ministry of Public Security, where Patel met with his counterpart.

Beijing agreed to restrict the export of 13 fentanyl precursor chemicals to the United States, Mexico, and Canada. It also agreed to control seven chemical subsidiaries also used in fentanyl production.

“Essentially, President Trump has shut off the pipeline that creates fentanyl, that kills tens of thousands of Americans,” Patel said. “These substances are now banned, and they will no longer be utilized by the Mexican drug trafficking organizations or any other CEOs around the world to make this drug. This achievement will save lives.”

Patel also called his counterpart in China earlier this year, leading Beijing to ban the export of four fentanyl precursors beginning on Sept. 1.

Trump announced 10 percent tariffs on China early in his term as a result of Beijing’s role in the fentanyl crisis, doubling that to 20 percent the next month.

After the recent meeting with Xi, the tariff was halved to 10 percent, tied to Beijing’s commitment to ban the chemicals.

Trump has declared the opioid crisis a national health emergency, enacted visa policies that will prevent associates of drug traffickers from entry to the United States, designated drug cartels as terrorist organizations, and ordered strikes on vessels believed to be carrying narcotics.

China emerged as the primary supplier of illicit fentanyl as deaths rose steeply around 2016. Then deaths skyrocketed from 2021 to 2023 along with a record surge of border crossings, and at its peak, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the fentanyl crisis was linked to 76,226 synthetic opioid deaths in 2022, more than quadruple the figure from 2016. The United States started seeing a reversal in 2024, coinciding with changed border policies, and fentanyl-linked deaths in 2024 were estimated to be 48,422.