Two Chinese researchers charged with smuggling biological pathogen to study at University of Michigan lab
Two Chinese researchers were charged with smuggling a biological pathogen that they planned to study at a University of Michigan lab, a complaint filed Tuesday says.
Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, were charged with conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud the United States, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements and visa fraud for bringing in the fungus Fusarium graminearum from China, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Fusarium graminearum is described as 'a potential agroterrorism weapon' that can cause disease in certain plants like corn, rice and barley, and is 'responsible for billions of dollars in economic loss worldwide each year,' an FBI affidavit in support of the complaint says.
The charges come as the Trump administration is looking to revoke visas for Chinese students, especially those with alleged 'connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,' Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week. The State Department has zeroed in on any potential wrongdoing from academics across the country in the last several months, including a Harvard researcher accused of smuggling frog embryo remains.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X that the case is 'a sobering reminder that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, which would have grave consequences.' The affidavit doesn't specify what Jian and Liu's intentions were in studying the fungus.
CNN reached out to the Federal Community Defender of the Eastern District of Michigan, who represents Jian, for comment. Jian, who was arrested by the FBI, remains in custody. Liu is not currently in the US, said Gina Balaya, public information officer for the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Liu, who is a researcher at Zhejiang University in China, tried to bring in multiple samples of the fungus during a trip with a tourist visa in July 2024 and hadn't applied for a permit to bring it in, the affidavit says.
Jian, his girlfriend, is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Molecular Plant-Microbe Interaction Laboratory at the University of Michigan, and previously worked at a university in Texas since August 2022, the affidavit says. Authorities found evidence that during her time at the two universities, the Chinese government funded her research on Fusarium graminearum at Zhejiang University, the affidavit says.
Files found on Jian's phone included a signed 'annual self-assessment form' from the university, which described her research accomplishments from the previous year as well as an oath to follow the principles of the CCP, the affidavit says. Radio Free Asia previously reported on the practice, saying 'tens of thousands' of Chinese students using government-backed scholarships were required to sign the document.
When Liu was questioned at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport in July 2024, he initially claimed he didn't know what the materials containing the fungus were, but eventually admitted he intentionally hid the samples and planned to clone different strains at the University of Michigan lab where Jian worked, the affidavit says.
Several devices seized from Liu, the affidavit says, showed messages where he coordinated with Jian to smuggle biological samples and other materials for the July 2024 trip as well as for a trip two years earlier.
The University of Michigan said in a statement Tuesday they 'strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university's critical public mission,' and noted they recieved no funding from the Chinese government in relation to those charged.
Jian appeared in court Tuesday but didn't enter a plea, Balaya said. She is scheduled to be in court for a detention hearing Thursday.
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