FBI Director Kash Patel Drinking Water

FBI Expands Cooperation With China and Russia on Global Crime

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WASHINGTON — August 5, 2026

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has expanded law enforcement cooperation with China and Russia to combat transnational crimes, marking a significant shift in relations with two countries that Washington considers major strategic rivals.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the partnerships focus on specific criminal threats, including cyber fraud, fentanyl trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and fugitive investigations. He described the cooperation as limited, carefully managed, and designed to support U.S. law enforcement objectives without replacing traditional intelligence partnerships.

According to Patel, the FBI has established working groups with Chinese authorities that include regular exchanges of personnel, intelligence sharing, and joint investigations. Officials from China's Ministry of Public Security have visited FBI facilities in the United States, while FBI agents have traveled to China to work alongside local counterparts on agreed investigations.

One example cited by the FBI was a joint operation involving Chinese authorities and police in Dubai that targeted a cyber scam network. The operation reportedly resulted in hundreds of arrests, the seizure of millions of dollars, and the rescue of people believed to have been forced into online fraud operations.

Patel said the FBI has also been working with Russian authorities on selected criminal investigations over the past 15 months. A visit to Russia is being planned, although no official date has been confirmed.

The expanded cooperation follows President Donald Trump's diplomatic engagement with China and reflects a broader effort to work with foreign governments on crimes that affect the United States. Patel emphasized that the partnerships are restricted to specific areas of mutual interest and do not extend to broader intelligence cooperation.

He also said the FBI continues to prioritize its longstanding intelligence partnerships with allies, including the Five Eyes network, which includes the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

The initiative has drawn criticism from some former U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials, who argue that cooperation with China and Russia could expose sensitive information and create counterintelligence risks. Critics warn that officials from both countries could use access to U.S. institutions to gather intelligence beyond the stated law enforcement objectives.

Patel rejected those concerns, saying all foreign visitors undergo extensive security screening and monitoring while interacting with FBI personnel or visiting agency facilities.

The FBI also said cooperation with Chinese authorities has contributed to investigations involving fentanyl precursor chemicals and multinational child exploitation networks. According to internal agency information, recent operations led to multiple arrests, the closure of chemical production facilities, and the disruption of an international child abuse network.

Some foreign policy experts say cooperation with China on issues such as fentanyl trafficking has produced positive results, although they caution that it remains difficult to measure the direct impact on declining overdose deaths in the United States.

The Kremlin did not immediately comment on the reported cooperation, while China's embassy expressed support for dialogue and cooperation between the two countries.

The expanded partnerships represent a notable change in the FBI's approach to international law enforcement, although officials stress the cooperation remains limited to specific criminal investigations and continues under strict security controls.