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China Curbs Drug Precursors to North America After US Trade Deal

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China added more than a dozen fentanyl precursors to a list of controlled exports to the US, Mexico and Canada, in an apparent move to implement commitments made in a trade deal reached between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump last month.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry, alongside four other government agencies, imposed new export license requirements for shipping 13 precursor chemicals to the three North American nations, state broadcaster CCTV reported Monday. The controlled substances include various piperidine derivatives and entire families of related compounds used in making fentanyl.

This move represents a step in fulfilling China’s pledge to combat the flow of synthetic opioid ingredients to the US, which Trump has cited as a reason for raising tariffs on Chinese goods earlier this year. The rate of those levies was halved to 10%, effective Monday, as part of the Xi-Trump deal that stabilized ties between the world’s two largest economies.

As part of the broader October trade agreement, Beijing committed to “take significant measures to end the flow of fentanyl to the United States,” according to a White House statement.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel visited China last week to discuss the narcotics and enforcement issues, Reuters reported. On Monday, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had no information to provide about Patel’s reported trip when asked about it at a regular press briefing in Beijing Monday.

Separately, the US and China suspended port fees on each other’s ships for one year and paused probes into maritime practices, in another sign of easing tensions.