China has moved to place two key fentanyl precursor chemicals—4-piperidone and 1-boc-4-piperidone—under state control, expanding a list of regulated substances effective 20 July. The decision was announced after Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong met in Beijing with U.S. Ambassador David Perdue, and marks the most concrete step in a series of counter-narcotics measures Beijing has taken during the past week. Washington has long accused Chinese firms of supplying ingredients for the synthetic opioid that has claimed more than 450,000 American lives over the last decade. U.S. President Donald Trump, who in February imposed a 20 percent tariff on Chinese goods over the issue, welcomed Beijing’s latest move and said at a 16 July White House ceremony that he believes China will “soon” begin imposing the death penalty on producers and exporters of fentanyl. Trump spoke while signing the HALT Fentanyl Act, which stiffens U.S. penalties for trafficking the drug. Beijing bristled at the remarks. Foreign-ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on 17 July that the fentanyl crisis is “the U.S.’s problem, not China’s,” and argued the American tariffs have “seriously undermined” bilateral cooperation on drug control. Lin urged the United States to pursue dialogue based on “equality, respect and mutual benefit,” underscoring the political sensitivity that still surrounds the opioid in broader U.S.–China relations.