FBI Sting: Chinese Nationals CHARGED!

Two Chinese nationals with ties to the University of Michigan stand accused of smuggling a potential bioweapon into the United States, sparking a sweeping federal investigation and raising serious questions about our universities’ vulnerability to foreign influence and national security risks.

At a Glance

• Two Chinese nationals have been charged with smuggling the bioweapon-grade fungus Fusarium graminearum into a University of Michigan lab.
• The University of Michigan is under federal investigation for failures in disclosing over $375 million in foreign funding since 2021.
• The case highlights grave national security risks related to agricultural bioterrorism and Chinese infiltration of U.S. research labs.
• Federal scrutiny is focused on the Chinese government’s links to the plot and inadequate university safeguards.

A Potential Bioweapon in a University Lab

In June 2025, federal prosecutors unsealed charges against Yunqing Jian, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, for smuggling the dangerous crop pathogen Fusarium graminearum from China. This is not just an academic issue; the fungus, which can obliterate wheat and barley harvests, has been flagged by the FBI as a potential agent of agroterrorism.

Investigators allege Jian received direct Chinese government funding and that Liu admitted to sneaking the pathogen into the U.S. for her research. This case exposes the shocking ease with which foreign actors can allegedly exploit the openness of American universities for potentially hostile purposes.

A Pattern of Infiltration and Negligence

The Department of Justice is not mincing words, calling this one of the gravest threats to national security. The case is part of a broader, well-documented pattern of the Chinese Communist Party targeting the U.S. agricultural sector to steal intellectual property and gain a strategic advantage.

The University of Michigan is now under intense scrutiny not just for this security breach, but for its systemic failure to comply with federal law. An ongoing Department of Education investigation has found that the university failed to properly report over $375 million in foreign funding, much of it from Chinese entities. This lack of transparency creates an environment where dangerous, state-sponsored research can occur without proper oversight.

A Wake-Up Call for America’s Food Security

While university leadership scrambles and claims to be cooperating, the damage may already be done. This scandal is a wake-up call about the dangers of unchecked foreign influence in American higher education. For years, universities have prized global partnerships and foreign tuition dollars over basic national security diligence.

Disturbing news AGAIN about Chinese nationals smuggling in dangerous biological materials to the University of Michigan. 

Our academic institutions must not be soft targets for foreign espionage—especially by China. It’s time for stronger safeguards and accountability. https://t.co/S0FJa1kuga

— Chairwoman Lisa McClain (@RepLisaMcClain) June 9, 2025

The American people are now left to wonder how many other sensitive research projects, funded by our adversaries, are happening on U.S. campuses. This is no longer a debate about academic freedom; it is about protecting America’s food supply and national security from hostile states that are exploiting the naive openness of our academic institutions.