China tightens control on more fentanyl precursors ahead of Xi-Trump meeting
Por Xiaofei Xu,Sylvia Ma — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement 2026 Xi-Trump summits Economy China tightens control on more fentanyl precursors ahead of Xi-Trump meeting
Two more chemicals added to export control list days after US president calls for ‘more aggressive action’
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Xiaofei Xu in Paris and Sylvia Ma in Shanghai Published: 6:44pm, 22 Sep 2026
China tightened its controls on the export of fentanyl precursors to the United States, Canada and Mexico, adding two new chemicals to its list requiring export licenses on Tuesday, one day ahead of President Xi Jinping’s announced visit to the US.
China’s Ministry of Commerce, together with four other government agencies, added two N-phenethyl piperidine esters to part one of China’s Catalogue for the Administration of Exports of Precursor Chemicals to Specific Countries (Regions), according to a statement from the ministry.
The list now includes 18 chemicals, all of which could be used in fentanyl production. The licensing requirement for these substances applies only to North America, with a separate section covering 41 chemicals bound for Myanmar, Laos and Afghanistan.
The news came on the day before Xi is set to depart for the US on his highly anticipated state visit. Fentanyl has been a core issue in US-China trade negotiations since the Trump administration returned to power last year.
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