- By Shivangi Sharma
- Sun, 08 Jun 2025 03:42 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A chilling warning has emerged from China specialist Gordon Chang following the arrest of Chinese researchers Yunqing Jian (33) and Zunyong Liu (34) for allegedly smuggling Fusarium graminearum, a crop-devastating fungus, into the United States. In an interview with Fox News, Chang claimed this signals a covert Chinese campaign that could unleash threats "worse than COVID" or fentanyl unless relations are severed.
According to Reuters, Liu was intercepted at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in July 2024 carrying concealed fungal samples, which he admitted were destined for cultivation in a University of Michigan lab where Jian worked. Both face charges including conspiracy, smuggling, false statements, and visa fraud.
The DOJ and FBI have branded F graminearum a bioterrorism agent, citing its capacity to cause “head blight” in wheat, barley, maize, and rice, leading to billions in economic devastation. Agricultural scientists dismiss the alarm, pointing out the fungus has been endemic in the US for over a century and is effectively managed via fungicides, resistant crop strains, and grain testing
'Cut Ties With China'
Chang told Fox News Digital that the only defence is a total severance of US–China relations. He cautioned: “We are going to get hit hard, not just with COVID, not just with fentanyl, but perhaps with something worse.” He even suggested holding the couple at Guantanamo Bay, equating their actions to acts of war.
Chang points to a series of covert Chinese endeavours: unsolicited seed shipments in 2020 and early 2025, academic espionage, and technology theft, collectively amounting to a “People’s War” strategy by the Chinese Communist Party.
How Authorities Have Reacted
The University of Michigan has denied Chinese government funding tied to Jian's research and asserts full cooperation with law enforcement. DOJ and FBI officials emphasise that this smuggling constitutes a significant threat to food security and national safety.
