Overview

• Yunqing Jian, a University of Michigan research fellow, was arrested and charged with conspiracy, smuggling, making false statements and visa fraud over the importation of Fusarium graminearum.
• Prosecutors allege Jian’s partner, Zunyong Liu, concealed the head blight–causing fungus in his luggage at Detroit Metropolitan Airport before admitting he planned to bring it to the campus lab.
• Fusarium graminearum is classified as a potential agroterrorism weapon that inflicts head blight on staple crops and produces toxins linked to vomiting, liver damage and reproductive defects.
• The criminal complaint states Jian received funding from a Chinese government-backed foundation and that her devices contained records of her membership in and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party.
• The case has prompted the Trump administration to tighten visa rules for Chinese nationals with ties to the Communist Party and those studying in critical fields.