BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) - China sentenced three of its nationals to maximum punishments for smuggling fentanyl to the United States, in one of its highest-profile moves yet against the illicit flow of opioids that President Donald Trump has made a bone of contention in broader trade talks between Washington and Beijing.

One person was sentenced to death with a two year reprieve, while two others received life sentences, Chinese officials said at a press conference in northern Hebei province on Thursday (Nov 7). A reprieved death sentence has the possibility of being commuted down to a life sentence if the person shows good behaviour within the allotted period.

Another six people involved in the smuggling ring, which started in 2016, were sentenced to jail time of between six months to two years, officials said. The convictions are the first to arise from China's joint investigation with US law enforcement into fentanyl smuggling.

The flashy sentencing comes as the two countries strive to negotiate a deal to at least partially resolve a tit-for-tat tariff war that is now into its second year and has caused economic losses on both sides.

Washington has long criticised Beijing for not doing enough to curb the flow of the drug behind a scourge blamed for thousands of overdose deaths in the US, with a concentration of victims in rural areas where Mr Trump has broad support.

"This further demonstrates the Chinese government's consistent attitude of zero tolerance towards drug crimes," said Mr Yu Haibing, deputy secretary general of the China National Narcotics Control Commission on Thursday.

Although China has publicly denied being the main source of illicit fentanyl flow to the US, it has made broad concessions on an issue that White House trade adviser Peter Navarro considers one of China's "seven deadly sins" that the country must address in any trade deal.

Last year, it tightened supervision and revised rules around fentanyl production after the two presidents met at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina, and has allowed US law enforcement authorities to be more closely involved in investigating smuggling rings within China.

The widely publicised sentencing on Thursday will likely help Mr Trump sell his trade deal at home where he is facing a sceptical business community and farmers hurt by his tariffs. The event may also boost his effort to make the deal palatable to hardliners inside his administration who are pushing for structural concessions by Beijing.

The latest probe started with a phone number provided by the Guangzhou office of the US Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

More than 20 suspects were captured or investigated and the police cracked down on one fentanyl manufacturing base and two sales outlets and seized 11.9kg of fentanyl, along with 19.1kg of other drugs including alprazolam, said Mr Yu.