FBI expands crime-fighting cooperation with China and Russia under Patel
Joint raids, personnel exchanges and working groups mark a shift in US law enforcement partnerships with two geopolitical rivals
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

FBI expands crime-fighting cooperation with China and Russia under Patel
Photograph: The Express Tribune (embedded from source)
What this story says
- FBI Director Kash Patel has established working groups with China and Russia focused on fentanyl, cyber fraud, child exploitation and fugitive cases.
- The partnerships involve monthly personnel exchanges, joint raids and intelligence sharing, including a Dubai operation that led to 300 arrests.
- The initiatives began after President Donald Trump’s 2025 visit to China and have raised concerns within the US counterintelligence community.
- Patel described the cooperation as limited and selective, while critics warn of espionage risks from sharing sensitive information with authoritarian regimes.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 39 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 17 of the 56 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
70/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
25/100
56 sources · methodology
Missing from the left
Only 8 of the 39 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
A reader who follows the left would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.
FBI Director Kash Patel has established law enforcement partnerships with China and Russia over the past year to combat transnational crimes. The cooperation, which Patel described as selective and limited, focuses on fentanyl trafficking, cyber fraud, child sexual exploitation and fugitive cases. The partnerships involve monthly personnel exchanges, joint raids and intelligence sharing between US and Chinese officials.
The initiatives began after President Donald Trump’s visit to China in May 2025. Patel has since made two trips to China and met with Chinese Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong and Vice Minister Xu Datong. A trip to Russia is tentatively planned for October 2026. The FBI and Chinese authorities conducted a joint raid in Dubai in May 2026, dubbed "Operation Sand Dollar", which resulted in 300 arrests, the seizure of $300 million and the rescue of thousands of trafficked workers.
Patel told Reuters the partnerships are narrow in scope and do not replace longstanding alliances such as the "Five Eyes" intelligence network. He said counterintelligence measures are in place for foreign visitors to FBI facilities. Former FBI supervisory agent Jeff Crocker, who retired in 2024, warned that China and Russia would use access to US facilities for espionage, calling the cooperation "great cover" for infiltration.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests mentioned the repatriation of a suspect from China to the US, a detail included in the full reports from The Express Tribune and HuffPost. The left-rated reports did not include the Chinese Embassy’s statement that "dialogue and negotiation are the right way forward", which appeared in the centre-rated full report from The Express Tribune.
Coverage settled. We checked this 23 times and stopped on 11 Aug 2026, 01:45. The figures above are what it finished at.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
8 rated outlets
- Left-rated outlets reported that FBI Director Kash Patel established law enforcement partnerships with China and Russia to combat transnational crimes such as fentanyl trafficking, cyber fraud, and child exploitation. All eight outlets carried Patel’s description of these as “non-traditional partners” and “selective” arrangements. Six digests and the HuffPost report noted joint raids, personnel exchanges, and a planned October trip to Russia.
- The HuffPost report led on counterintelligence concerns raised by the partnerships, quoting a former FBI supervisory agent. Raw Story’s digest also highlighted alarm within the U.S. counterintelligence community. None of the other six outlets mentioned these concerns. The HuffPost report alone named “Operation Sand Dollar,” the Dubai raid that resulted in 300 arrests and $300 million seized.
- HuffPost and two digests quoted Patel calling the regimes “adversarial” but “dynamic relationships.” The HuffPost report included his statement that risks “can be managed.” No other outlet carried this phrasing or the detail that the partnerships began during Donald Trump’s 2025 visit to China.
Centre
9 rated outlets
- The two centre-rated reports, from The Express Tribune and Reuters, provided detailed accounts of the partnerships’ structure and scope. The Express Tribune’s full report described the four working groups, cyber fraud, violent crimes against children, counternarcotics and a fugitive task force, and quoted Patel’s statement that the cooperation is "an apolitical mission". Reuters’ digest summarised the partnerships’ focus on transnational crimes and the personnel exchanges involved.
- Both reports included the "Operation Sand Dollar" raid in Dubai and Patel’s assertion that the partnerships do not replace the "Five Eyes" alliance. The Express Tribune quoted Patel’s remark that the relationships are "new and dynamic" and his insistence that they are managed with awareness of China and Russia’s adversarial stance.
Right
22 rated outlets
- The six right-rated digests led on the partnerships’ departure from past US policy and the security risks involved. India Today, De Telegraaf, Pakistan Today, Times of India and The Straits Times all noted the shift in approach and the focus on crimes such as fentanyl trafficking and cyber fraud. De Telegraaf’s digest explicitly called the sharing of sensitive information "dangerous".
- Korrespondent.net’s digest described the partnerships as a "new era" of cooperation, while India Today and Pakistan Today emphasised their limited scope. None of the right-rated digests mentioned the "Operation Sand Dollar" raid or the specific counterintelligence measures Patel described. The focus was on the broader implications of the partnerships and the potential risks to US security.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover FBI expands crime-fighting cooperation with China and Russia under Patel?
- Of the 39 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 21% are rated left, 23% are rated centre, 56% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 56. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is FBI expands crime-fighting cooperation with China and Russia under Patel left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 39 rated outlets on this story, 21% are rated left, 23% are rated centre, 56% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of FBI expands crime-fighting cooperation with China and Russia under Patel biased?
- FBI expands crime-fighting cooperation with China and Russia under Patel is one event reported by 56 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting FBI expands crime-fighting cooperation with China and Russia under Patel?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered FBI expands crime-fighting cooperation with China and Russia under Patel?
- 56 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What crimes are the FBI’s partnerships with China and Russia focused on?
- The partnerships target fentanyl trafficking, cyber fraud, child sexual exploitation and fugitive cases. FBI Director Kash Patel described the cooperation as selective and limited to these areas, with working groups established for each type of crime. The initiatives began after President Donald Trump’s 2025 visit to China.
- What was 'Operation Sand Dollar'?
- Operation Sand Dollar was a joint raid conducted in Dubai in May 2026 by the FBI, China’s Ministry of Public Security and Dubai police. The operation led to 300 arrests, the seizure of $300 million and the rescue of thousands of trafficked workers. It is cited as a key example of the new law enforcement cooperation.
- Why are US counterintelligence officials concerned about the partnerships?
- Critics, including former FBI supervisory agent Jeff Crocker, warn that China and Russia could exploit access to US facilities for espionage. The partnerships involve sharing sensitive information with authoritarian regimes, which US officials have historically viewed as adversaries. Patel has acknowledged the risks but insists they are managed.
- How do the partnerships differ from past US policy?
- The partnerships mark a shift from viewing China and Russia solely as exporters of crime and sources of espionage. They involve monthly personnel exchanges, joint raids and intelligence sharing, which were previously rare or nonexistent. Patel described the cooperation as a break from past practice but not a replacement for alliances like "Five Eyes".
Read it at the source
57 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
8- FBI Chief Boasts About Unprecedented Ties with Russia and China. It's Causing Nervousness (opens Novinky.cz in a new tab)
Novinky.cz — is Novinky.cz biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Under Patel, FBI forges unprecedented law enforcement ties with China, Russia (opens The Citizen in a new tab)
The Citizen — is The Citizen biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The FBI Under Patel Is Establishing Unprecedented Ties with China and the Russian Federation (opens unn.ua in a new tab)
- FBI director Kash Patel reveals new law enforcement ties with China and Russia (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- FBI director Kash Patel reveals new law enforcement ties with China and Russia (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Kash Patel shrugs off spy risk after forging FBI partnerships with 'enemies' (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
- Under Patel, FBI Forges Unprecedented Law Enforcement Ties With China, Russia (opens HuffPost in a new tab)
- Pentagon drafting a new U.S. nuclear strategy in case of regional war with China or Russia, sources say (opens NBC News in a new tab)
Centre
9- Under Patel, FBI forges unprecedented law enforcement ties with China, Russia (opens West Hawaii Today in a new tab)
West Hawaii Today — is West Hawaii Today biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Under Patel, FBI forges unprecedented law enforcement ties with China, Russia (opens Hawaii Tribune-Herald in a new tab)
Hawaii Tribune-Herald — is Hawaii Tribune-Herald biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Under Patel, FBI forges unprecedented law enforcement ties with China and Russia (opens The Japan Times in a new tab)
The Japan Times — is The Japan Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Pentagon drafts new nuclear strategy weighing tactical weapons against Russia, China (opens bne IntelliNews in a new tab)
bne IntelliNews — is bne IntelliNews biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Under the Leadership of Kash Patel, the FBI Establishes Unprecedented Ties with China and Russia (opens Digi 24 in a new tab)
- US to join Russia, China in war on crime, Kash Patel says, as former FBI director warns of risks (opens Jerusalem Post in a new tab)
Jerusalem Post — is Jerusalem Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Under Patel, FBI forges unprecedented law enforcement ties with China, Russia (opens The Express Tribune in a new tab)
The Express Tribune — is The Express Tribune biased? Our profile of this outlet
- EXCLUSIVE: Under Patel, FBI forges unprecedented law enforcement ties with China, Russia (opens Reuters in a new tab)
Right
23- Planning for New Strategy in Case of Nuclear War (opens Expressen in a new tab)
- Pentagon Develops Tactical Nuclear War Plan for Possible Conflict With Russia or China (opens [your]NEWS in a new tab)
[your]NEWS — is [your]NEWS biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The New US Nuclear Strategy. Conflict with Russia and China in the Background (opens tvp.info in a new tab)
- Is the U.S. Rethinking Nuclear Strategy to Counter China and Russia? “Discussing New Strategy Emphasizing Short-Range Tactical Nuclear Weapons” (opens 조선일보 in a new tab)
조선일보
- "U.S. Discusses New Strategy Emphasizing Short-Range Tactical Nuclear Weapons to Prepare for Attacks by China and Russia Allies" (opens 연합뉴스-Yonhap News Agency in a new tab)
연합뉴스-Yonhap News Agency — is 연합뉴스-Yonhap News Agency biased? Our profile of this outlet
- FBI Director Drives Unpublished Cooperation with China and Russia to Fight Transnational Crime · Global Voices (opens la Nacion in a new tab)
- Russia and the FBI Revive Quiet Cooperation Against Transnational Crime (opens Правда.Ру in a new tab)
Правда.Ру
- US Plans New Nuclear Strategy In Case Of War With China Or Russia: Report (opens NDTV in a new tab)
Show 15 more
- Patel Declared a New Era of FBI Cooperation with China and Russia (opens Korrespondent.net in a new tab)
Korrespondent.net — is Korrespondent.net biased? Our profile of this outlet
- FBI teams up with China, Russia to tackle cybercrime, fentanyl: Kash Patel (opens India Today in a new tab)
India Today — is India Today biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Bombshell leak claims America is ‘preparing for nuclear war with Russia and China’ (opens End Time Headlines in a new tab)
End Time Headlines — is End Time Headlines biased? Our profile of this outlet
- THE PROPHECY NEWS PODCAST: Trump Administration Orders New Tactical Nuclear War Strategy Against Russia And China As The Department Of War Makes An Unthinkable Global Catastrophe Thinkable Again (opens ussanews.com in a new tab)
ussanews.com — is ussanews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- China’s Nuclear Coming of Age (opens Hudson Institute in a new tab)
Hudson Institute — is Hudson Institute biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The Pentagon Developed a Nuclear Strategy in Case of War with the Russian Federation (opens Korrespondent.net in a new tab)
Korrespondent.net
- The American FBI Has Been Working Closely with China and Russia Since Last Year; 'It Is Dangerous that the US Shares Sensitive Information' (opens De Telegraaf in a new tab)
De Telegraaf — is De Telegraaf biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- FBI Collaborates with Old Rivals China and Russia (opens Reformatorisch Dagblad in a new tab)
Reformatorisch Dagblad — is Reformatorisch Dagblad biased? Our profile of this outlet
- FBI expands cooperation with China and Russia (opens Pakistan Today in a new tab)
Pakistan Today — is Pakistan Today biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US drafts new nuclear strategy in case of regional conflict with China or Russia (opens The News in a new tab)
- Under Kash Patel, FBI forges unprecedented law enforcement ties with China, Russia (opens Times of India in a new tab)
Times of India — is Times of India biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Why Is the FBI Working With America’s Biggest Rivals? (opens Modern Diplomacy in a new tab)
Modern Diplomacy — is Modern Diplomacy biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Under Patel, FBI forges unprecedented law enforcement ties with China, Russia (opens The Straits Times in a new tab)
The Straits Times — is The Straits Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US 'preparing for nuclear war with Russia and China' as bombshell plans leaked (opens Daily Express in a new tab)
Daily Express — is Daily Express biased? Our profile of this outlet
- FBI Foiled 715 Planned Terror Attacks Last Year: Director Kash Patel (opens The Epoch Times in a new tab)
The Epoch Times — is The Epoch Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
17- Interview with FBI Director: Intensifying Efforts to Combat Foreign Espionage (opens 大纪元 Epoch Times in a new tab)
大纪元 Epoch Times — is 大纪元 Epoch Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Opinions | .Week of Marína Gálisová: We Love China, Russia, You Have to Say that There! (opens .týždeň in a new tab)
.týždeň — is .týždeň biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- EXCLUSIVE: Under Patel, FBI forges unprecedented law enforcement ties with China, Russia – Reuters (opens Corruption by Cops in a new tab)
Corruption by Cops — is Corruption by Cops biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The US Will Focus on Tactical Nuclear Weapons. A Chance for Poland? (opens Defence24 in a new tab)
- How Patel is Transforming FBI Collaborations with China & Russia Unprecedentedly (opens MondialNews in a new tab)
MondialNews — is MondialNews biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Under Patel, FBI forges unprecedented law enforcement ties with China, Russia (opens barlamantoday.com in a new tab)
barlamantoday.com — is barlamantoday.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The Secrets of the Global Crisis Were Deciphered on A Haber! A Frightening Scenario From a German Commander: "A Nuclear Winter Lasting 50 Years Is on the horizon." (opens A Haber in a new tab)
- The US Changes Its Nuclear Strategy. The Focus Moves on Tactical Weapons to Discourage China and Russia (opens Adevarul in a new tab)
Show 9 more
- China Flexed Its Nuclear Muscles and Created Political Havoc. An Old Question Is Once Again Relevant: Can Nuclear Weapons Prevent War? (opens Kristeligt Dagblad in a new tab)
Kristeligt Dagblad — is Kristeligt Dagblad biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- US, Russia and China agree to confiscate passports of crime suspects, list offences (opens Tuko.co.ke in a new tab)
Tuko.co.ke — is Tuko.co.ke biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The FBI Establishes Cooperation with Law Enforcement Officers of China and Russia (opens liga.net in a new tab)
- The Pentagon Is Preparing for the Worst-Case Scenario. It Involves Russia and China. (opens Do Rzeczy in a new tab)
- Media: The United States Wants to Renew Its Nuclear Strategy, Which Would Allow the Use of Tactical Weapons (opens Європейська правда in a new tab)
Європейська правда
- "In the Event of a War with Russia or China," the US Is Preparing a New Nuclear Strategy. (opens rmf24.pl in a new tab)
- FBI to Help Russia and China Fight Transnational Crime - Seznam Zprávy (opens seznamzpravy.cz in a new tab)
seznamzpravy.cz — is seznamzpravy.cz biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Patel: FBI Has Established New Partnerships with Security Forces in Russia and China | ČeskéNoviny.cz (opens ceskenoviny.cz in a new tab)
ceskenoviny.cz — is ceskenoviny.cz biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Joint Raids and Exchange of Agents: FBI Established an Alliance with Beijing and Moscow (opens ZN.UA Зеркало недели in a new tab)
ZN.UA Зеркало недели — is ZN.UA Зеркало недели biased? Our profile of this outlet
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