ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – From smuggled pathogens to midnight military misadventures, the University of Michigan finds itself entangled in a web of possible espionage, agroterrorism, and biosecurity breaches linked to Chinese nationals.
Night ops at Camp Grayling: meteor shower or military surveillance?
Back in 2023, five Chinese nationals, then undergraduates at the University of Michigan, were caught near Camp Grayling, a National Guard training facility, during a midnight excursion. Claiming to be “media” or stargazers, they were found photographing military equipment during a joint exercise involving Taiwanese forces.
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Subsequent investigations revealed attempts to delete incriminating photos and mislead authorities. The students were part of a joint program between the University of Michigan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Subsequently, in January of 2025, U-M put out a press release saying that they were ending their longstanding “partnership” with the Jiao Tong University following discussions with U.S. congressional leadership and internal U-M stakeholders.
The press release said, “The move follows a recent report from the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party concerned with national security, and a letter from committee chair U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Michigan) communicating his concerns that the partnership had been compromised.”
Fungus among us: the pathogen plot.
In another incident raising more than eyebrows, two Chinese researchers, Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu, have been charged with attempting to smuggle the crop-destroying fungus Fusarium graminearum into the U.S. As Michigan News Source has reported, Liu was apprehended at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in July of 2024 with concealed samples, intended for research at the University of Michigan Molecular Plant-Microbe Interaction (MPMI) Laboratory where his girlfriend Jian worked.
According to the criminal complaint, Liu planned to access the university lab either on days it was open to him or by having his girlfriend, Jian, let him in. Not exactly a glowing endorsement of U-M’s lab security protocols.
The fungus, known to cause significant agricultural damage and health risks, is considered a potential agroterrorism weapon. Jian, a member of the Chinese Communist Party, allegedly received Chinese government funding for her work on this pathogen. The alleged smuggling event happened in July of 2024 but because the Biden Administration didn’t aggressively pursue the criminality, Jian continued to work at the U-M lab until at least February 2025 when she was interviewed at the lab by the FBI. Michigan News Source contacted the university to ask why Jian remained at the university after the smuggling incident but officials have declined to comment.
Lab staffing.
The MPMI lab’s website, where Jian was employed, shows a diverse group of researchers, including many who appear to be of Chinese descent. Whether these staff members are Chinese nationals or American citizens is not noted. However, the faculty listed includes Professor Ping He, Professor Libo Shan, Professor Amy Chang, Associate Professor Bo Duan, Lecturer Wanlu Du, Professor Cunming Daun, Professor Tzumin Lee, Associate Professor Ming Li, Associate Professor Kwoon Wong, Visiting Professor Haoxing Xu, and Adjunct Professor Haoxing Xu.
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Research staff listed on the website includes Research Laboratory Tech Senior, Zhongzheng Dong, Research Laboratory Specialist Senior Hankyu Lee, Research Lab Specialist Intermediate Kook Hui Ryu, and Research Laboratory Technician Senior Ke Wan.
Liu backtracks on lab ties, reveals work history with U-M’s top scientists.
According to the criminal complaint, Zunyong Liu initially denied knowing anyone besides Jian at the MPMI Laboratory, but later admitted that he knew the two principal investigators (PIs) overseeing the lab. He stated that he had conducted research with both of them at a university in Texas from May 2018 to August 2023 and U-M where he worked from August 2023 to April 2024.
Although not named in the complaint, the U-M Molecular Plant-Microbe Interaction Working Groups website lists Professors Ping He and Libo Shan as the current principal investigators, both of whom still appear to be employed at the university. Both are faculty and research mentors in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, located in the Biological Science Building on the central campus of U-M.
In a recent report from Just the News, they state that both Ping He and Libo Shan are Chinese citizens who are are receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health for studying plant immunity.
Did Ping He or Libo Shan discover a smuggled pathogen?
In the criminal complaint, phone records show Jian and Liu discussed the fact that one of the PI’s had found one of Liu’s biological samples that were apparently smuggled into the lab earlier. Jian says “your cell death phenotype plants were seen by (the PI) and added, “It really pushed me to the brink of despair.”
Jian told Liu that she didn’t tell the PI that it was Fusarium graminearum. The FBI affidavit says that the MPMI Laboratory has permits from the USDA to study Fusarium oxysporum but not Fusarium graminearum. Michigan News Source contacted both professors to clarify which one questioned Liu, as referenced in the complaint’s text messages, but neither responded to our request for comment.
FBI warns of “quiet infiltration.”
Just the News reports that NIH records show Libo Shan and Ping He were awarded more than $7.6 million in total, split between two separate sponsored projects – one granted to each researcher.
In a discussion with Just the News, the FBI said they were aware of the federal funding trail and they believe the entire case “exposes a serious national security risk with U.S. scientific research relying on foreign scientists, particularly from communist China.”
Erica Knight, an adviser to FBI Director Kash Patel, told Just the News: ”The CCP’s quiet infiltration of our research ecosystem is a direct threat to our national security, biosecurity, and economic independence. The Director understands these threats better than anyone, and under his leadership, we will aggressively root out every trace of corrupt foreign influence.”
Foreign tuition, hidden risks.
In a recent Michigan News Source report, we highlighted how Chinese students pour millions into American universities through tuition and living expenses. At the University of Michigan alone, 8,635 international students were enrolled in Fall 2024 – making up a staggering 17% of the student body.
While their financial contributions are undeniable, a growing number of voices – including Michigan politicians and members of the Trump administration – are raising concerns about national security, especially when some of these students are involved in sensitive research areas.
Are these Chinese students in the country for nefarious reasons? Are the Chinese U-M professors American or Chinese citizens and how long have they been here? And do any have ties to the Chinese Communist Party, as Jian did? Are they vetted thoroughly and rigorously – and how? These are questions worth asking –but so far, U-M doesn’t appear offering any answers.
