The FBI has recently charged two Chinese researchers with smuggling a toxic pathogen into the United States, exposing potential covert operations by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) within American research facilities. The individuals, identified as Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, are accused of illicitly bringing Fusarium graminearum—a fungus that can wreak havoc on crops such as wheat—into the country, posing a significant threat to U.S. agriculture and food security.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that in July 2024, Liu was intercepted at a U.S. entry point carrying suspicious red plant material concealed in his backpack. Despite his initial false statements to Customs and Border Protection officers, Liu confessed to smuggling the material with the intent to further his research at the University of Michigan laboratory, where Jian was employed following her doctorate completion in China.
This laboratory, which specializes in plant immunity, is directed by Ping He and Libo Shan, Chinese-born scientists who have received over $7.6 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for two major projects. Jian and Liu were both authors on research papers tied to these taxpayer-funded grants, as reported by Just the News.
Investigations revealed Jian's financial backing from the Chinese government's postdoctoral exchange program and her expressed loyalty to the CCP on personal devices. Moreover, private WeChat conversations between Jian and Liu outlined their strategies for smuggling seeds and biological samples into the U.S., with Jian recounting how she concealed seeds in her boot insoles, bypassing customs.
FBI Director Kash Patel, as quoted by Erica Knight, an adviser, emphasized the gravity of CCP infiltration in the U.S. research ecosystem, calling it a direct threat to national security, biosecurity, and economic independence. Patel's leadership promises an aggressive stance against foreign corruption.
Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, highlighted the risks and called for an in-depth investigation into NIH funding decisions and their implications for U.S. security. The University of Michigan has distanced itself from the researchers' actions, condemning any conduct that compromises national security and denying any Chinese funding for the implicated research.
This case is not unique, given prior incidents at the University of Michigan involving Chinese nationals suspected of espionage, and additional arrests of Chinese students at military sites. Former State Department official Robert Charles warns that this pathogen smuggling case could be indicative of broader Chinese efforts to undermine America's food supply.
Amidst these serious allegations, Jian and Liu are confronting multiple federal charges, including conspiracy and smuggling, as the FBI and U.S. authorities work to address the burgeoning challenge of foreign influence within the nation's scientific and economic sectors.
