China expands export controls on drug precursors ahead of Trump-Xi meeting

BEIJING — China said Tuesday that it is now requiring permits for exports to the United States, Mexico and Canada of two additional chemicals that can be used to make illegal drugs, expanding controls on shipments to the three countries.

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The Commerce Ministry and other authorities jointly announced the new regulations ahead of this week’s meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump. The additions bring the number of chemicals under such controls to 18.

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The U.S. has called China the world’s largest producer of many of the precursor chemicals used in the illicit production of fentanyl, methamphetamine and other deadly synthetic drugs. It has urged Beijing to take more aggressive action to reduce the flow of unregulated precursor chemicals.

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Inside factory producing fentanyl in China

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In November 2025, Beijing announced export restrictions on 13 “drug-making” chemicals to the U.S., Canada and Mexico, including chemicals used to produce the synthetic opioid blamed for tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the U.S. every year. In May, China added three additional types of fentanyl-related precursors to the list. The measures followed meetings between Xi and Trump in South Korea in October 2025 and Beijing in May.

China faced a fentanyl-related tariff imposed by the U.S. Beijing then issued a report in March 2025 detailing its efforts to control the illegal trade in fentanyl. Its foreign minister also blasted the U.S. for responding to Beijing’s goodwill with tariffs. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the tariff in February.