Two Chinese nationals have been charged with smuggling a “potential agroterrorism” fungus into the United States called Fusarium graminearum.
The fungus causes “head blight,” which is a disease associated with wheat, barley, maize, and rice, with the capability of causing billions of dollars in damage.
Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, who are citizens of the People’s Republic of China, are also being accused of having ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
“This case is a sobering reminder that the Chinese Communist Party continues to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, an act that could cripple our economy and endanger American lives,” FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News in a statement. “Smuggling a known agroterrorism agent into the U.S. is not just a violation of law, it’s a direct threat to national security. I commend the FBI Detroit Division and our partners at CBP for stopping this biological threat before it could do real damage.”
Jian is a researcher for the University of Michigan, and Liu, Jian’s boyfriend, allegedly works at a Chinese university and has done research on the fungus. Both were allegedly receiving Chinese government funding for their research.
“It is further alleged that Jian’s boyfriend, Liu, works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen and that he first lied but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into America — through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport — so that he could conduct research on it at the laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked,” according to a DOJ press release.
“The complaint also alleges that Jian’s electronics contain information describing her membership in and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party,” the release adds.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that the Justice Department “has no higher mission than keeping the American people safe and protecting our nation from hostile foreign actors who would do us harm.”
“Thanks to the hard work of our excellent DOJ attorneys, this defendant — who clandestinely attempted to bring a destructive substance into the United States — will face years behind bars,” she said.
Liu entered the U.S. in July 2024 with “a note in Chinese, a round piece of filter paper with a series of circles drawn on it, and four clear plastic baggies with small clumps of reddish plant material inside,” an affidavit said. When asked why they were in his bag, he said he didn’t know and suggested someone else may have placed them there, before later admitting that he knew. He wasn’t arrested at the time.
“LIU stated that he intentionally hid the samples in his backpack because he knew there were restrictions on the importation of the materials,” according to the complaint. “LIU confirmed that he had intentionally put the samples in a wad of tissues so CBP Officers would be less likely to find and confiscate them, and he could continue his research in the United States.”
The University of Michigan condemned any attempt to harm national security. “We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university’s critical public mission,” the school’s statement said.
“It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals. We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution,” it said.
VISAS OF CHINESE STUDENTS TO BE ‘AGGRESSIVELY’ REVOKED, RUBIO SAYS
The charges come a week after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. would begin “aggressively” revoking Chinese students’ visas.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the U.S. State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,” Rubio said in a statement. “We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong.”
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
