A couple of Chinese students and scientists who enrolled at the University of Michigan have been charged with smuggling toxic fungus into the school. US authorities have feared that the two scientists might have been clandestine agents or possibly acting on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party to sabotage the US’s agriculture.
The two Chinese scientists in question were Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, both of whom are in a relationship. The pair came to the US carrying a fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which can cause blight in barley, maize, rice, and wheat —basically, some of the most common crops in the US.
Consuming affected crops can cause nausea, vomiting, liver diseases, and even reproductive defects in people and livestock. Thus, the US Department of Justice, in conjunction with the FBI, has labeled the fungus as a “potential agroterrorism weapon,” and one of the scientists was arrested while the other, Liu, didn’t make it to the US and was sent back China in 2024 after being rejected at a Detroit airport. The couple, however, has a history with the University of Michigan prior to their re-entry to the US with the fungus in tow.
“These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme,” says US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr, transcript courtesy of The Guardian
Jian has since appeared in court but was jailed again while waiting for her bond hearing, while her boyfriend, Liu, managed to go back to China after changing his story during the interrogation. Liu also feigned ignorance about the fungus at one point, but eventually admitted that he was planning to use it at the University of Michigan’s lab, according to the court documents.
Prior to smuggling the fungus into the US, Jian and Liu also conducted research about the fungus in China. The FBI even allegedly found a worrying article on the scientists’ phone titled “Plant-Pathogen Warfare under Changing Climate Conditions.”
A Threat to National Security?
Both Jian and Liu have been charged with conspiracy, smuggling, false statements, and visa fraud. So far, it appears Jian hasn’t exactly admitted as to what their exact plans were for the toxic fungus or their connection to the Chinese Communist Party, while Liu managed to evade the charges back in China.
Because of what the two Chinese scientists did, it appears US government agencies are now in a state of paranoia, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowing to revoke visas for Chinese students. The aggressive move towards Chinese nationals is also a part of the Trump administration’s tighter policies on immigration.
And while the Chinese scientists supposedly failed at what the US authorities feared they would do, some people online can’t help but liken the situation to some of the more recent and popular fiction surrounding fungal apocalypses.
“Last of ‘US,'” jokes ILoveMy2Balls
“This is a grave violation of any reasonable steardship provisions, and their university should investigate the matter. In industry, this could lead to their loss of job and difficulties in getting hired in the field ever again. But I fail to see the basis for any accusations of terrorism yet,” says Patentsmatter
“If it was clandestine and with malicious tent, this is an enormous deal. fusarium can cause total crop loss in some species, and if it had been modified in any way it could decimate the food supply of a continent. I mean, eventually the world as fungal spores can ride the jet stream, but not an issue to be taken lightly,” suggests GiantSquirrelPanic
