More than a century ago, China and the United States learned a critical lesson: drug trafficking is a global problem and no country, however powerful, could fight it on its own.

One of the earliest steps toward international cooperation came in 1909, when representatives from 13 countries gathered in Shanghai for the International Opium Commission.

It was the first time the international community collectively addressed the opium issue. The meeting adopted a set of resolutions aimed at restricting opium cultivation, limiting production and controlling distribution. In that effort, US advocacy and China's active participation became key drivers of the emerging international drug-control framework.

This momentum continued with the signing of the International Opium Convention in The Hague in 1912, which established international rules governing opium production and trade and called on countries to limit opium use strictly to medical and scientific purposes.

Both China and the US remained important contributors to subsequent international conventions aimed at regulating the manufacture and trade of narcotics.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the Chinese government launched a nationwide campaign against drug abuse and trafficking.

Within a few years, the widespread narcotics problem that had plagued the country was effectively eliminated. China has maintained a zero-tolerance policy toward drugs.

Modern China-US counternarcotics cooperation began following the normalization of bilateral relations in the 1970s. During the then US president Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972, the two sides held their first discussions on drug control cooperation.

After diplomatic relations were established in 1979, practical collaboration soon followed, including exchanges on customs interdiction techniques and law-enforcement training.

In the following decades, bilateral cooperation deepened and counternarcotics efforts became one of the most constructive and stable pillars of China-US relations.

Yet the drug landscape has evolved. Between 2012 and 2024, new synthetic drugs and psychoactive substances spread rapidly and potent synthetic opioids, particularly fentanyl, moved to the center of global counternarcotics discussions.

In the US, opioid abuse escalated into a major public health crisis, placing immense pressure on medical systems and social governance. China and the US maintained close technical communication on drug trends, with regular exchanges on investigative leads, counternarcotics policies and emerging challenges.

In October 2017, the eighth China-US counternarcotics intelligence meeting discussed issues of mutual concern, including fentanyl and new psychoactive substances.

At the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump reached important consensus on strengthening law enforcement cooperation in drug control.

China then took a significant step. On May 1, 2019, it became the first country in the world to impose full control over fentanyl-related substances. According to the US International Narcotics Control Strategy Report of 2025, there have been no seizures of fentanyl-related substances directly entering the US from China since then.

The two countries also advanced collaboration in law enforcement. In 2017 alone, China's National Narcotics Control Commission shared more than 400 investigative leads related to fentanyl procurement and over 500 concerning US customers purchasing new psychoactive substances. Joint investigations helped crack several transnational drug cases.

Information exchange and case coordination became central to bilateral cooperation, making fentanyl governance a model of international counternarcotics cooperation.

However, cooperation was disrupted when the US imposed sanctions on China's National Narcotics Laboratory over what it described as "human rights issues" in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

In August 2022, after then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, China-US counternarcotics cooperation was suspended.

As China-US ties stabilized in 2023, drug control was one of the first areas where dialogue resumed. Both sides agreed to establish a China-US counternarcotics working group, bringing cooperation back on track.

At its first meeting in Beijing in January 2024, the working group identified priority areas for cooperation. China subsequently placed 46 new psychoactive substances under control and strengthened oversight over seven chemicals used in fentanyl production.

However, new challenges emerged when the US imposed an additional 20 percent tariff on imports from China in early 2025, citing concerns over fentanyl precursor chemicals. The unilateral move disrupted not only global trade but also the fragile framework of anti-drug cooperation.

China responded with restraint while continuing to strengthen regulatory controls. In March 2025, it released a white paper outlining its policies and achievements in regulating fentanyl-related compounds. Gradually, cooperation regained momentum.

During the China-US economic and trade consultations held in Malaysia in October 2025, the two sides reached an important consensus on fentanyl governance.

High-level engagement soon followed. After the two presidents met in the Republic of Korea, the US lifted the additional "fentanyl tariffs", while China tightened controls over exports of specific precursor chemicals to the US, Mexico and Canada.

In November 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel visited China to discuss drug control cooperation.

It was the first time in over a decade that an FBI director had visited the country, marking the restoration of key communication channels. Shortly afterward, cross-agency teams from both countries held online consultations to coordinate future efforts to address the fentanyl challenge.

The resumption of cooperation demonstrates the resilience of China-US counternarcotics collaboration.

Looking back over more than a century of interaction — from the Shanghai International Opium Commission to today's fentanyl challenge — China-US counternarcotics cooperation has evolved from early diplomatic dialogue into a practical law enforcement partnership.

The lesson is clear: Unilateral pressure cannot stop the flow of drugs or dismantle transnational production and distribution networks.

The China-US experience demonstrates that cooperation, rather than confrontation, is the most effective way forward.

Going ahead, China-US counternarcotics cooperation will continue to face complex conditions. But as long as both sides remain committed to mutual respect, equality and the shared goal of protecting human well-being, cooperation can withstand uncertainties and sustain positive momentum in global governance.

Working together toward a drug-free, healthier and more peaceful world, the two countries can open a new chapter in international counternarcotics cooperation.

The author is the director of the International Center for Drug Policy Studies at Shanghai University.

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