US arrests another Chinese scientist with no permit to send biological material

The Star

a day ago

Another Chinese researcher has been arrested upon entering the United States, amid an escalating federal probe into the alleged smuggling of biological materials – marking the second such case in less than a week.
Han Chengxuan, a PhD candidate at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in Wuhan, was accused of shipping four undeclared packages containing biological materials from China to a University of Michigan lab—and lying to federal agents about it.
Her arrest on Sunday followed charges filed last Tuesday against Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu, also Chinese nationals affiliated with the University of Michigan, who allegedly attempted to smuggle a crop pathogen capable of causing widespread agricultural damage in the US.
Han, a student at HUST's College of Life Science and Technology, was stopped by Customs and Border Protection officers on Sunday after landing at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on a J1 visa, according to a Department of Justice statement.
She allegedly made false statements to the officers before ultimately admitting to the FBI that she sent the packages, which contained 'biological material related to round worms.' Investigators also found that her phone data had been wiped three days before her arrival, according to the statement.
Roundworms are slender, tube-shaped parasites. Ranging from microscopic to several inches long, they can cause serious infections in the intestines or tissues of humans and animals, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
'The alleged smuggling of biological materials by this alien from a science and technology university in Wuhan, China – to be used at a University of Michigan laboratory – is part of an alarming pattern that threatens our security,' interim US Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in a statement.
Denis Simon, a non-resident fellow at Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a Washington-based think tank, said Han's motives could have been anything from 'academic misjudgment' that was benign from a national security standpoint to possibly more suspicious conduct.
For instance, Chinese scholars may fear that importing samples openly could lead to extra scrutiny, visa delays, or project cancellation, especially amid heightened US-China tensions.
'It is not uncommon for early-career scientists from abroad to underestimate US compliance and biosafety protocols, particularly if oversight in their home country is lax or ambiguous,' said Simon, who is also a visiting professor at Duke University's Asian Pacific Studies Institute.
Han's case highlights the complex intersection of science, national security, and geopolitics, he said. 'This case may ultimately serve as a test case for how the US handles gray-zone academic violations in a period of heightened scrutiny of Chinese scholars,' he said.
'It also raises urgent questions about the future of international scientific mobility, research compliance training, and institutional due diligence at US universities,' he added.
Han's arrest came a day after China's consulate in Chicago said in an official statement that it was seeking information about last week's case against Jian and Liu and had lodged a 'stern representation' with the US side.
The two Chinese nationals were accused of attempting to smuggle the fungus pathogen Fusarium graminearum into the country last year.
The diplomatic mission condemned the earlier case as 'political manipulation' by the US and its 'overstretched concept of national security'. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST