China Adds Two Fentanyl Precursor Chemicals to Export Control List

China has added two chemicals to its export control list for drug precursor chemicals, requiring permits for shipments to the United States, Mexico and Canada, its commerce ministry said on Tuesday.

The two substances are piperidone compounds structurally related to a well-known precursor used in the synthesis of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid at the centre of US concerns over drug deaths.

The move comes days before a summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Washington, where narcotics cooperation is expected to feature on the agenda.

Washington has repeatedly pressed Beijing to do more to stop the flow of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl into the United States. China, for its part, maintains that its counter-narcotics laws are among the strictest in the world and that fentanyl is a US problem.

This is not the first time Beijing has adjusted the list around high-level meetings. It was expanded in May and again in November, following summits between Trump and Xi in Beijing and Busan respectively.

Early in 2025, Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese goods over fentanyl concerns. After meeting Xi in October last year, he agreed to halve the fentanyl-related tariffs in exchange for Beijing cracking down on the illicit fentanyl trade. Those tariffs were struck down in February by a US Supreme Court ruling.

China's state media have reported at least two drug-related cases involving the US this year, including the arrest of five suspects in a joint investigation into a drug smuggling and trafficking case.