China, US arrest 5 in joint drug sting ahead of Trump-Xi meeting

Authorities from the U.S. and China recently arrested five suspects in a drug smuggling and trafficking operation, according to Chinese state media.

The Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced Monday that authorities in early April arrested three Americans and two Chinese nationals in coordinated operations in both countries, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Later this week, President Trump will head to Beijing for a state visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. During their last meeting in October, the two leaders discussed cracking down on fentanyl.

After that meeting, Trump reduced emergency tariffs imposed on China over the spread of fentanyl — which the Supreme Court struck down in January — from 20 percent to 10 percent. The Chinese government then announced new export restrictions on 13 chemicals used to make drugs in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

As part of the recent operation, authorities conducted raids in China’s Liaoning and Guangdong provinces, as well as in Florida and Nevada, according to MPS. During those raids, authorities seized drugs such as protonitazene and bromazolam, the ministry added.

MPS also said that the joint operations dismantled a narcotics trafficking and smuggling channel spanning the U.S. and China. 

Trump’s summit with Xi, set for Wednesday through Friday, will mark a meeting of the leaders of the world’s two largest economies. It also comes amid the U.S. war with Iran, to which Beijing has close ties in the oil trade, and the AI arms race between the two superpowers. 

On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he will head to Asia on Monday for meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng ahead of the summit.

Bessent wrote on the social platform X that he will meet with Takaichi, Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and “other government and private sector representatives” on Tuesday in Tokyo. 

A day later, Bessent will meet in Seoul with He, the director of China’s Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission. The Treasury secretary added that he will then head to Beijing for the meeting between Trump and Xi.