FBI accuses Chinese researchers of smuggling toxic fungus into US

Australia Broadcast Center

2 days ago

Two Chinese researchers are accused of smuggling toxic fungus into the US for their work at a University of Michigan laboratory, the Department of Justice says.
The department said the biological pathogen, known as Fusarium graminearum, is classified as a potential agroterrorism weapon.
This fungus causes "head blight" or "head scab" which is a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice.
The department said it could cost billions in economic losses worldwide each year.
The pathogen could also lead to vomiting, liver damage and reproductive defects in humans and livestock if it gets into food.
Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, have been charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the US, false statements and visa fraud.
The University of Michigan website shows that Ms Jian is a research fellow specialising in molecular, cellular and developmental biology.
Ms Jian allegedly received funding from the Chinese government for her work on this pathogen in China.
Her boyfriend Mr Liu worked at a Chinese university where he conducted research on the same pathogen, according to the FBI's criminal complaint.
"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," the FBI said.
FBI director Kash Patel alleged that a signed statement on her phone indicated Ms Jian had expressed loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party.
Chinese Embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said he did not know the specific situation but "would like to emphasise that the Chinese government has always required overseas Chinese citizens to abide by local laws and regulations and will also resolutely safeguard their legitimate rights and interests".
Ms Jian appeared in court on June 3 and was returned to jail to await a bond hearing on Thursday.
The ABC has contacted the University of Michigan for comment.
The FBI said Mr Liu was turned away at Detroit airport and sent back to China after changing his story during an interrogation about red plant material discovered in his backpack in July 2024.
The university does not have federal permits to handle Fusarium graminearum, according to the FBI.
The US does not have an extradition treaty with China, which makes Mr Liu's arrest unlikely unless he returns.
ABC/AP