BEIJING – China’s Public Security Minister urged the US Homeland Security Secretary to stop alleged “harassment” of Chinese students entering the United States, in a meeting between the two in Vienna, Beijing’s state media reported on Feb 19.

In a read-out of talks on Feb 18 between Mr Wang Xiaohong and Mr Alejandro Mayorkas, Beijing urged Washington “to stop harassing and checking Chinese students for no apparent reason”, state news agency Xinhua said.

Beijing has repeatedly alleged that Chinese nationals with valid travel documents have been subjected to aggressive interrogations and deportations at US airports, with its embassy in Washington in January urging Chinese travellers to avoid the capital’s Dulles International Airport.

In his meeting with Mr Mayorkas, Mr Wang urged the US to “ensure that Chinese citizens enjoy fair entry treatment and full dignity”, according to Xinhua.

Mr Wang also pressed Mr Mayorkas to “rectify” the US decision to place China on a list of major countries transiting or producing narcotics.

US officials have long charged that China is complicit in the trade of fentanyl, which is many times more powerful than heroin and is responsible for more than 70,000 overdose deaths a year in the US.

In January, US and Chinese officials in Beijing agreed to cooperate to curb the production of ingredients to make fentanyl, known as precursor chemicals.

A US read-out of Feb 18’s talks said Mr Wang and Mr Mayorkas had held “candid and constructive discussion on the steps needed to combat the spread of precursor chemicals”.

“The two sides also made commitments with respect to continued law enforcement cooperation, technical bilateral exchanges between scientists and other experts, scheduling of precursor chemicals, and furthering multilateral cooperation,” it said.

Washington and Beijing also discussed expanding cooperation “in the fight to protect children from online child sexual exploitation and abuse”, the read-out added.

Relations between China and the US have warmed over the past year as Washington has pursued dialogue with Beijing.

But the Chinese government still resents US measures, including a ban on exports of advanced semiconductors and sanctions on Chinese firms and individuals.

In talks in Munich last week, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the US must “lift illegal unilateral sanctions”. He also called on the US to “stop unwarranted harassment and interrogation of Chinese citizens”. AFP