China curbs drug precursor exports ahead of Xi’s US visit

Skip to content China unveiled export restrictions on precursor chemicals that can be used to make drugs on Tuesday, days before a high-stakes meeting between President Xi Jinping and US counterpart Donald Trump. Fentanyl. Photo: US Drug Enforcement Administration. The rules, announced in a statement by Beijing’s commerce ministry, take effect immediately. They apply to two varieties of substances which will now be subject to applications in order to be exported to the United States, Mexico or Canada, the statement said. China is the primary origin of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl, a highly potent opioid underpinning a devastating drug epidemic in the United States. Shipments of the substances from China have repeatedly complicated the relationship between Washington and Beijing, which has insisted it cracks down heavily on drug trade. US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping tour the Hall of Prayer of Good Harvest at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on May 14, 2026. Photo: The White House, via Flickr. In May, China imposed export controls on another set of drug precursor chemicals shortly after a visit by Trump to Beijing that featured talks with Xi. Observers will be closely watching this week’s visit by Xi to Washington, where he is expected to discuss key topics with Trump spanning trade, artificial intelligence and the US war with Iran. Trump imposed additional tariffs on Chinese goods last year in retaliation for the country’s role in the fentanyl epidemic, but the levies were struck down by the US Supreme Court in February. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Dateline:Beijing, China Type of Story: News ServiceProduced externally by an organization we trust to adhere to high journalistic standards. Agence France-Press (AFP) is "a leading global news agency providing fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the events shaping our world and of the issues affecting our daily lives." HKFP relies on AFP, and its international bureaus, to cover topics we cannot. Read their Ethics Code here More by AFP