Beijing hails US cooperation as ICE returns suspected drug smuggler to China

A Chinese fugitive suspected of drug-related crimes has been repatriated from the United States and handed to police in China, the first such case in years, according to state media.

The suspect was returned to China by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) via cooperation channels between the two countries, based on information provided by Chinese narcotics control authorities, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday, citing the Ministry of Public Security.

The Chinese national, identified only by the surname Han, is suspected of drug smuggling and trafficking, although no further information was provided about the drugs Han is accused of smuggling.

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“This marks the first drug-related fugitive handed over by the US to China in recent years, signalling new progress in bilateral counternarcotics law enforcement cooperation,” Xinhua said, without specifying when the handover took place.

China does not have a formal extradition agreement with the US, although one is not strictly required for deportations.

In recent years, drug control has stood out as a rare field of progress in US-China cooperation amid tensions on other fronts. The issue is especially important to the US, which has blamed the fentanyl crisis on China, where many of the drug’s precursor ingredients are produced and exported.

The repatriation announcement came ahead of US President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China in mid-May, a trip that was postponed several weeks because of the US-Israel war on Iran.

South China Morning Post