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Han Li

Washington and Beijing’s top police officials met on Friday in the Chinese capital, the latest meeting by senior level representatives in advance of a much-anticipated summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, expected in the US capital in late September.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel met Wang Xiaohong, China’s state councillor and minister of public security, in Beijing on Friday, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Wang said the two sides should deepen cooperation, focusing on “drug control, combating telecoms and online fraud and child pornography, anti-money-laundering and fugitive pursuit”, the release said.
Wang reportedly added that both sides should implement the common understandings reached by Trump and Xi during the US president’s state visit to Beijing in May, and engage in more constructive dialogue on the basis of mutual respect.
Similarly, Patel posted on social media on Friday afternoon highlighting the trip’s focus on “shutting off fentanyl precursor pipelines, expanding our joint operations on scam centres, violent crimes against children and the already successful fugitive task force”.
“Back in Beijing to continue the extraordinary work under the Trump administration,” Patel said.


Patel’s last official Beijing visit was in November 2025, when he met Vice-Minister of Public Security Xu Datong – the first FBI director to visit China since 2016.
Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu also visited Washington this week, seen by some as a way to test the temperature ahead of the expected summit.
His counterpart, Elbridge Colby, US Defence undersecretary for policy, wrote on social media after their meeting: “we deal with our Chinese counterparts in a spirit of respect, candour, and realism”.
Trump has said his meeting with Xi will take place on September 24 at the White House, which Beijing has not confirmed.
Patel’s trip was not announced beforehand. He had been travelling in Southeast Asia attending Association of Southeast Asian Nations events and meeting law enforcement leaders “to expand cooperation against transnational crime and accelerate joint operations targeting global scam centres”, he wrote on social media.
It was not immediately clear whether the two security officials discussed the fentanyl crisis on Friday.
The meeting took place as Washington continues to accuse Beijing of being the primary source of fentanyl precursor chemicals fuelling the US opioid crisis, an allegation China has long disputed.
Trump had slapped a 20 per cent fentanyl tariff on Chinese goods. It was subsequently halved before being ruled unconstitutional in February.
Patel’s overseas travel has drawn scrutiny before. House Democrats have criticised his use of FBI jets for personal trips, including a golfing excursion to Scotland.
He has also faced broader criticism since taking over the bureau that he has steered the FBI away from its traditional arm’s-length relationship with the White House, turning it into a more overtly political instrument in keeping with Trump’s preferred approach.
Law enforcement cooperation between the two countries has included a series of high-profile fugitive exchanges in recent months, including the return of a Chinese drug fugitive to Beijing by the US in April.
On Thursday, China’s Ministry of Public Security handed over to US law enforcement authorities a US fugitive wanted for serious violent crimes, Xinhua reported.


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Talks come as the US and China step up high-level engagement and seek closer cooperation on law enforcement and security


Talks come as the US and China step up high-level engagement and seek closer cooperation on law enforcement and security.


FBI head Kash Patel meets China security chief Wang Xiaohong in Beijing on crime crackdown

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Talks come as the US and China step up high-level engagement and seek closer cooperation on law enforcement and security

Talks come as the US and China step up high-level engagement and seek closer cooperation on law enforcement and security