FBI establishes unprecedented ties with China, Russia, director says

FBI Director Kash Patel has said the bureau has established unprecedented law enforcement partnerships with China and Russia over the past year, describing the cooperation as a targeted effort to combat transnational crime, including fentanyl trafficking, cyber fraud and child sexual exploitation.

In an exclusive interview with Reuters, Patel made it clear that the partnerships involve limited intelligence sharing, joint investigations, personnel exchanges and coordinated operations with what he called "non-traditional partners."

The initiative marks a significant shift in US law enforcement policy and has raised concerns among counterintelligence officials over the risks of cooperating with two of Washington's principal geopolitical rivals.

The cooperation has included exchanges of personnel, with Chinese law enforcement officers visiting the United States and FBI agents travelling to China to work jointly on investigations and share intelligence.

FBI officials also said US and Chinese authorities have carried out joint raids and arrests under the arrangement. Patel returned from Beijing in late July, while a similar visit to Russia is tentatively planned for October.

Patel stressed that the cooperation is confined to four working groups focusing on cyber fraud, violent crimes against children, counternarcotics and fugitive investigations. The relationships, he added, began following President Donald Trump's visit to China in May 2025 and have since expanded.

"They are both new and dynamic relationships, and we are extremely mindful of their adversarial approach on many matters," Patel said.

"They are not going to stop, but if we can go and have wins for America, then we must engage," he added.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov