Last week, FBI Director Kash Patel visited China to discuss fentanyl and law enforcement issues, reportedly holding talks with Chinese officials. Patel's visit to Beijing was not officially announced by either the United States or China and was reported on Monday by Reuters. A source familiar with the trip said the official arrived in the city on Friday and stayed for about a day. Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday he was unaware of the trip, while China's Ministry of Public Security and the U.S. Embassy in Beijing did not respond to requests for comment. The agency reported that on the same day, China announced it would adjust the catalog of chemical precursors related to drugs and require licenses for the export of certain chemicals to the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It also noted that antidrug authorities had stepped up oversight of the production and export of chemicals used to make drugs not on its control list to prevent them from reaching illegal channels, according to a statement. In turn, Donald Trump reduced tariffs on Chinese goods imposed as punishment for the flow of fentanyl to 10% after reaching an 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 overdose deaths in the United States, Trump told reporters after the talks.
