by Olivier Acuña Barba •Published: June 7, 2025•18:05•3 minutes read
US officials and Chinese experts warn that fungi can be used in agroterrorism, but biology experts disagree. Credit: DOJ
US experts in China said the Trump administration should cut ties with Asian countries as it is clear that it plots bioterrorist attacks with greater outcomes than Covid and fentanyl.
Gordon Chang, a lawyer and Chinese Communist Party expert, is said to Fox News Digital in an interview in connection with the recent arrest of Chinese citizens, who are allegedly smuggling highly toxic fungi into the United States.
“The only way to stop this is to cut ties with China,” lawyer and Communist Party expert Gordon Chang told Fox News Digital. “And I know people think it is dramatic, but we are overwhelmed, we are hit, and we are hit really hard.
Potential agricultural weapons
On Tuesday, two Chinese citizens were charged with allegedly smuggling the US fungus called “Fusarium graminearum” into the US. I said.
Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, are said to have received funds from the Chinese government for research. Part of it took place at the University of Michigan.
“The complaint also claims that Jian’s electronics contain information that explains membership and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party,” the DOJ press release said.
The University of Michigan “will strongly condemn actions aimed at causing harm, threatening national security, and undermining the university’s important mission. It is important to note that the university has not received funding from the Chinese government for research carried out by the accused.”
The US DOJ said Fusarium graminearum is a toxic fungus that causes “head blight” that kills crops, a disease in wheat, barley, corn and rice, which causes billions of dollars in economic losses around the world each year.
It is also toxic to humans and can cause vomiting, liver damage, and “reproductive defects in humans and livestock.”
Experts refute DOJS bacteria statement
However, agricultural experts Interview by Reuters This week, he said that the fungus has been around the country for over 100 years and is prevented by spraying pesticides and is only dangerous if consumed regularly and in large quantities.
“As a weapon, it’s pretty effective,” said Jessica Ratkoski, a crop science professor, wheat breeder and geneticist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Rutkoski and other researchers said the detailed examination of fungal toxins, the widespread use of fungicides, and the difficulty of intentionally creating infections with pathogens makes it a clumsy weapon. The FBI and DOJ declined to comment to Reuters.
Chang said, “This couple should be sent to Guantanamo. This Chinese government has declared us a “war of the people.” ”
Experts also told Fox in 2020 that Americans across the United States received seeds from China by mail. He said it was an attempt to introduce invasive species that could destroy crops across the United States. He also said that Chinese online retailer Temu did the same this year.
“We don’t need a bomb to disrupt the economy.”
“Imagine walking into a local grocery store and looking at an empty shelf with bread, cereals and even pet food,” former FBI special agent, Jason Pack, told Fox News Digital.
“Prices are rising sharply. Supply chains are slowing down because foreign actors intentionally targeted crops that feed America,” Pack added. “That may sound exaggerated, but that’s exactly the kind of scenario that can be made when someone brings dangerous agricultural pathogens to the United States.
“We don’t need bombs to disrupt the economy. Biological agents such as Fusarium Graminialam must be introduced at the wrong time and in the wrong place. Food prices will rise. Livestock will suffer. Exports will cease. The economic ripple effects are enormous.”
