Two Chinese nationals face a slew of criminal charges after they were arrested by the FBI in an attempt to smuggle a biological pathogen through the Detroit airport into the U.S.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan on Tuesday announced charges of smuggling, false statements and visa fraud against University of Michigan researcher Yunqing Jian, 33, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34.
“The FBI arrested Jian in connection with allegations related to Jian’s and Liu’s smuggling into America a fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which scientific literature classifies as a potential agroterrorism weapon,” according to the attorney’s office. “This noxious fungus causes ‘head blight,’ a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year.
“Fusarium graminearum’s toxins cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock,” a news release read.
Liu, a researcher at Zhejiang University in China, attempted to smuggle multiple samples of the fugus through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport during a trip on a tourist visa in July 2024 without a permit for the pathogen, according to the affidavit cited by CNN.
“When Customs and Border Protection officers questioned Liu, he made false statements to CBP officers about the purpose of his visit to the United States, and his knowledge of the existence of the biological pathogen in his possession,” an FBI special agent wrote in the criminal filing.
“Ultimately, Liu admitted to smuggling the pathogen and stated that he brought the pathogen into the United States so that he could conduct research on it at a laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked,” the affidavit read, according to The Detroit News
“The case is a sobering reminder that the CCP is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, which would have grave consequences … putting American lives and our economy at serious risk,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in a post to X on Tuesday.
New… I can confirm that the FBI arrested a Chinese national within the United States who allegedly smuggled a dangerous biological pathogen into the country.
The individual, Yunqing Jian, is alleged to have smuggled a dangerous fungus called "Fusarium graminearum," which is an…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 3, 2025
Jian, a citizen of China with a doctorate degree in plant pathogens from Zhejiang University, previously received research funding from a Chinese foundation backed by the Chinese government. She also worked at a Texas university in August 2022, according to authorities.
A search of Jian’s electronic device uncovered a “annual self-assessment form” that included an oath to the CCP, as well as conversations about previous seemingly successful attempts to smuggle biological samples into the United States, the affidavit alleges.
Investigators also searched Liu’s iPhones before sending him back to China, and discovered an article titled “2018 Plant-Pathogen Warfare under Changing Climate Conditions,” The News reports.
“We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university’s critical public mission,” UM officials wrote in a statement Tuesday. “It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals. We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution.”
Jian, listed as a postdoctorial fellow on the UM website, appeared in federal court on Tuesday and is being held without bond with a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday, CNN reports.
Liu returned to China.
“This case should be fully prosecuted as a threat against our country,” Congressman John Moolenaar, chair of the House Select Committee on the CCP, said in a statement. “This is only further proof that American universities must be more vigilant when it comes to research security and the participation of Chinese nationals in these institutions.”
Moolenaar is leading efforts in Congress to raise awareness about China’s efforts to infiltrate and influence U.S. operations, and previously called on Michigan universities to cut ties with Chinese institutions. UM, Eastern Michigan University, and Oakland University have since ended their relationships with Chinese universities.
The charges against Liu and Jian, unsealed Tuesday, followed just days after prosecutors on Friday unsealed another criminal case against a Chinese student at the University of Michigan.
That case involves Haoxiang Gao, 20, who cast an illegal ballot in October that was counted in the 2024 election. Gao surrendered a Chinese passport to face state charges, but used a second passport to board a plane to Shanghai in January, according to the federal criminal complaint cited by The Detroit News.
The fungus smuggling case is also at least the second FBI counterintelligence investigation into UM students from China in the last year, with the other involving federal charges filed in October against five University of Michigan graduates from China for spying on the Camp Grayling National Guard Base during a military training involving Taiwanese solders in 2023.
Authorities allege the group was found with cameras near military vehicles, tents and classified communications equipment as soldiers conducted Northern Strike, one of the largest training exercises in the U.S.
The Chinese nationals charged in that case left the country following graduation in May 2024, but have outstanding arrest warrants in the U.S.
President Donald Trump’s administration is now working to “aggressively revoke visas” for Chinese students with connections to the Chinese Communist Party “or studying in critical fields,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday, according to CNN.
“We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong,” Rubio said.
The cases in Michigan and others elsewhere have fueled both legislation to crack down on Chinese influence in the Great Lakes State, as well as public opposition to economic development deals with companies linked to the CCP.
The latter includes $715 million in taxpayer subsidies for Gotion, Inc. that were secretly negotiated by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and select lawmakers to bring an EV battery component plant to Mecosta County.
The Gotion facility, however, remains in legal limbo with local officials and residents in opposition, and Moolenaar and others advocating against the company in Congress.
