‘We are deeply alarmed’: Lawmakers want answers from U of M in biological smuggling cases

House chairmen question oversight, federal research funding after 3 charged in 2 separate cases

Biological materials reportedly smuggled into the country from China. (WDIV)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The chairmen of three House committees have launched an investigation into the University of Michigan after three Chinese nationals were charged in two separate cases for allegedly smuggling biological material into the U.S.

Republican U.S. Reps. John Moolenaar, chairman of the Select Committee on China, and Tim Walberg, chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, along with Republican Rep. Brian Babin, of Texas, who is the chairman of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, sent a letter to the university over their concerns about how this alleged smuggling was connected to research labs at the University of Michigan.

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The committees found that Yunqing Jian, 33, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, citizens of the People’s Republic of China, conducted research under U of M professors who received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

“It is our position that Chinese researchers tied to the PRC defense research and industrial base have no business participating in U.S. taxpayer-funded research with clear national security implications—especially those related to dangerous biological materials," the committee chairmen wrote in the letter.

Previous Coverage: Chinese researchers remain in jail after being charged in separate biological smuggling cases

Jian allegedly worked as a postdoctoral fellow in a lab led by U of M professors Ping He and Libo Shan, while Liu co-authored publications with the two professors and was also listed as a postdoctoral fellow in their lab.

Jian and Liu are facing charges of conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud after they allegedly smuggled a fungus called Fusarium graminearum into the U.S. through Detroit Metro Airport.

The fungus is classified as a potential agroterrorism weapon, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. It can cause significant crop damage through a condition called “head blight,” affecting wheat, barley, maize and rice.

The letter says that NIH and NSF data show that the two professors have received over $9.6 million in government funding since 2010.

Within the same week that charges against Jian and Liu were announced, a third person, Chengxuan Han, also a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, was charged in a separate smuggling case involving the university.

She was charged with smuggling and making false statements after she allegedly sent four packages from China containing concealed biological material to two individuals who work in a laboratory at the U of M.

Due to this, the lawmakers asked the NIH and NSF to conduct a review of grants related to the smuggling cases.

They are also asking the university to answer 24 questions and provide documents related to “its oversight, compliance practices, and any internal reviews related to those individuals,” according to a release Select Committee on China.

Twenty-five lawmakers, including the three chairmen, signed the letter.

The University of Michigan released the following statement when asked about the letter:

“As one of the world’s leading public research institutions, the University of Michigan is dedicated to advancing knowledge, solving critical and consequential problems and improving nearly every facet of the human experience. We condemn any actions that violate federal law, threaten national security, or otherwise undermine the university’s critical public mission. We will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution. We are working to answer the questions raised in the letter from members of Congress. And we will continue to take institution-wide actions to ensure that our vital research enterprise complies with both university policy and federal law.”   

Kay Jarvis, Director of Public Affairs, University of Michigan