The Chinese government has called on the United States to stop alleged "harassment" of Chinese students flying into the US. It emerged during a meeting, which was held on Sunday 18 February 2024 in Vienna, between the Chinese Minister of Public Security, Wang Xiaohong, and the American Secretary of Internal Security, Alejandro Mayorkas . The presence of China in the list of the main countries that produce fentanyl (a narcotic) hinders travel from Beijing.

Washington must "stop harassing and controlling Chinese students for no apparent reason". We need to "ensure that Chinese citizens enjoy fair entry treatment and full dignity", are the words of Xiaohong,   relaunched by the state news agency "Xinhua". According to Beijing, the boys were also subjected to aggressive interrogations at US airports.

Wang and Mayorkas had "a frank and constructive discussion on the measures needed to combat the spread of chemical precursors". "The two sides also committed to continuing law enforcement cooperation, bilateral technical exchanges between scientists and other experts, precursor chemical planning, and deepening multilateral cooperation", a US report said.