Two Chinese nationals have been accused of smuggling a fungus into the US that officials describe as a “dangerous biological pathogen”.
Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, have been charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods, false statements, and visa fraud, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan announced on Tuesday.
The complaint alleges Mr Liu tried to smuggle the fungus through Detroit airport so he could study it at a University of Michigan laboratory where his girlfriend, Ms Jian, worked.
The fungus called Fusarium graminearum can cause a disease in wheat, barley, maize and rice that can wipe out crops and lead to vomiting and liver damage if it gets into food.
The fungus is described in scientific literature as a “potential agroterrorism weapon”, according to the US Attorney’s Office, adding it is responsible for “billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year.”
Officials further allege Ms Jian received funding from the Chinese government for her research on the pathogen in China. They also claim she is a member of the Chinese Communist Party.
If ahh Dokktor Fauxci can develop US Bioweapons in Communist China … then it only seems symmetrical that some ChiCom “students” can develop Agroweapons here in the heartland of the USA. Right, Dokktor Fauxci?
Fusarium graminearum is the fungus that causes tombstone in wheat. It’s here already, why smuggle it in? Sounds weird to me, story must be incomplete
H
Is the strain that they smuggled in, the same as the existing strain?
Gain of Fusarium graminearum function?
That was my thought too but if it was an enhanced version enhanced to make it even more deadly, or more readily spread, or resistant to current fungiocides, it could be a disaster and we might not notice it was due to the bioweapon.
There are starting to be articles popping up about the dangers of open-air food markets in Asia starting another pandemic.
I take this to be enemy action, the Chicoms directing attention away from their bio-weapons campaign.
How about a nice wheat-rust that kills a whole harvest? People don’t realize that we are never more than one failed harvest away from ruin. Every freaking year that food has to come through, or we’re f-ed.
Kinda puts a different spin on the “harmless fungus” thing, eh?
I’ve already seen this movie:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_(film)
“They also claim she is a member of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Since Yunqing Jian was given an exit visa to travel and study in the US, she is a member of the CCP in good standing, the question should be, is she a member of their intelligence apparatus? Odds are probably yes.
They really don’t have much choice. We caught a young woman spying for China at our institute and under questioning she explained her husband and daughter had to stay in China and if she did not do it, they would punished. When the RCMP arrived she dissolved in terrorized fear and relief that now she didn’t have to keep betraying us. China does not play nice.
In a just world these fckers would be skinned alive and hung by their ankles at the university. Maybe with a sign nailed to their foreheads that reads, “Terrorist”.
I handled a lot of fusarium damaged wheat in my years as a grain inspector. It was a major crop problem and a PITA to separate and assess as damage.
They only way this will be stopped is by public execution. Not the ones at the bottom, but the masters at the top.
Well at least fungus is an actual threat, unlike the Coronahoax. And so this should be treated seriously.