[Salon] China seizes 430kg cocaine aided by US intel, in sign anti-drug pact may be working

[Chas Freeman <cwfresidence@gmail.com>]

China seizes 430kg cocaine aided by US intel, in sign anti-drug pact may be working

Chinese authorities uncovered the drug in an international container at the Yantian port in Shenzhen, according to CCTV

SCMP

Phoebe Zhangin Shenzhen

Published: 2:19pm, 16 Dec 2025Updated: 4:06pm, 16 Dec 2025

Chinese authorities last month intercepted 430kg (948lbs) of cocaine aided by tip-offs from the United States, indicating possible progress on the issue following an agreement on counternarcotics cooperation reached by the leaders of the two countries in October.

The drugs were found inside an international container at Yantian port in Shenzhen, southern China, on November 26, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday. The case is under investigation and no other details were given.

Drug control has emerged as a rare field of progress in US-China cooperation amid tensions on other fronts in recent years. The issue is especially important to Washington, with US President Donald Trump on Monday declaring illicit fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.

Earlier this month, China said narcotics control authorities in both countries had been steadily “advancing joint anti-drug efforts and achieving notable results”.

US, China join forces to counter global fentanyl trade

China’s Ministry of Public Security said on December 6 that the two sides had worked on multiple cases together and maintained “close communication”, including holding video conferences, exchanging progress updates and discussing major areas for future cooperation.

“China will cooperate with the US on the basis of equality and mutual respect to jointly tackle the prominent global drug issue,” it said.

The consensus for cooperation emerged from a meeting between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Busan, South Korea, on October 30. During the meeting, Trump said he would lower tariffs on China in exchange for cooperation on tightening export controls on fentanyl precursors – the chemicals used to make the synthetic opioid blamed for hundreds of thousands of drug overdose deaths in the US.

On the same day, China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement that Beijing and Washington had forged consensus on tariffs, export controls and port fees during trade talks in Kuala Lumpur.

It said the US would remove half its 20 per cent “fentanyl tariffs” imposed on China, including Hong Kong and Macau and China would likewise adjust its countermeasures against the US. The consensus included issues such as fentanyl-related drug control cooperation and expanding agricultural product trade, the ministry said.

The fentanyl issue has long strained US-China relations. Even during his first term, Trump pressured Beijing to do more to stop the flow of precursor chemicals into America. In response, China imposed strict controls on drug production and export starting May 2019, placing all fentanyl-related substances under a regulatory schedule.

In November 2023, after Xi met then US president Joe Biden, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a press conference that the two sides had established a working group on counternarcotics cooperation, to jointly combat drug-related issues.

The following month, the foreign ministry said drug control agencies from the two countries had resumed regular contact.

“Since the Americans have withdrawn their sanctions on relevant Chinese law enforcement departments, China has recently promoted some special operations on fentanyl-type substances and their precursor chemicals,” ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at the time.

Phoebe Zhang

Phoebe Zhang is a senior reporter with the South China Morning Post. She has a master's degree in journalism. She likes to write human-interest stories and has written many about