Two Chinese nationals have been accused of bringing a deadly fungus into the country, according to US federal prosecutors. Authorities claim the fungus could be used as a “potential agroterrorism weapon.”
The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan released the charges against Jian Yunqing, 33, and Liu Zunyong, 34, two Chinese researchers, on Tuesday. Additional charges are brought against the pair, including conspiracy, visa fraud, and making false statements to investigators.
According to the prosecution, Liu allegedly brought the fungus Fusarium graminearum into the US to conduct research at his girlfriend’s job, a University of Michigan laboratory.
According to the allegations, Fusarium graminearum causes “head blight,” a disease that affects crops like wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and is “responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide every year.”
The pathogen can cause “vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects” and is also dangerous for people and livestock.
US Customs and Border Protection and the FBI, whose responsibilities include investigating international and economic espionage as well as counterterrorism, conducted the investigation.
Jian’s ties to the Chinese government are also being investigated as a result of the FBI’s earlier arrests and subsequent federal court appearances this week.
According to the allegations, Jian allegedly received funding from the Chinese government to conduct research on the same toxic fungus there.
According to the Associated Press news agency, Liu was returned to China from Detroit in July 2024 after airport customs officials discovered the fungus in his backpack. According to the AP, he later admitted to bringing the material into the US to conduct research at the University of Michigan, where he had previously collaborated with his girlfriend.
The FBI discovered a book titled “Plant-Pathogen Warfare under Changing Climate Conditions” on Liu’s phone during their investigation. Jian later lied to investigators about knowing about the smuggling scheme after receiving messages on the couple’s phones that read, “We knew.”
Due to the absence of a treaty between the US and China, it is unlikely that Liu will face extradition.
On X, FBI Director Kash Patel claimed on X that China was “working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, which would have serious consequences.”
New: I can confirm that the FBI has detained a Chinese national who is accused of entering the country through a smuggling a dangerous biological pathogen.
Yunqing Jian is alleged to have smuggled a dangerous fungus called “Fusarium graminearum,” which is…
A request for comment was not immediately addressed by the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC.
On Tuesday, the University of Michigan released a concise statement condemning “any actions that seek to harm, threaten national security, or undermine the university’s essential public mission.”
The case comes a week after Marco Rubio, the secretary of state for national security, announced that he would start “aggressively” revoke Chinese student visas in the US on national security grounds.
Chinese nationals affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a group of about 100 million people, are among the students who are being targeted. While some Chinese may join for ideological reasons, having access to better jobs and educational opportunities comes with being a member of the CCP.
Students from prestigious backgrounds, like those studying in the US, are frequently also members of the CCP.
