Dr. Li-Meng Yan’s escape from China in April 2020 blew the lid off a covert Beijing operation. The Qingdao-born scientist alleges Chinese researchers in the U.S. are bound by government contracts to pilfer intellectual property for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Her claims, once dismissed as fringe, now fuel a Trump administration crackdown on foreign scientists, as Just the News reports.
Yan's defection in 2020 exposed a scheme in which Chinese scientists, posing as visiting scholars, allegedly sign deals with Beijing to swipe U.S. research. Evidence from a U.S. intelligence agency, suggesting COVID-19’s lab origins, bolsters her early warnings. The NIH, once lax under Francis Collins and Anthony Fauci, now faces scrutiny for its role in granting visas to suspect researchers.
Yan's allegations point to a chilling strategy: Chinese scientists, she says, are CCP agents tasked with grabbing U.S. tech and data. “Scientists getting a visa from China… have signed the contract with the Chinese government,” Yan told Just the News. This isn’t scholarship -- it’s espionage dressed in lab coats.
The FBI’s alarm bells rang when two Chinese-born researchers, Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu, were caught trying to smuggle Fusarium graminearum, a toxic fungus, through U.S. customs. This “potential agroterrorism weapon” wreaks havoc on wheat, barley, and maize. Both worked at a University of Michigan lab funded by over $7.6 million in NIH grants.
Another Chinese researcher was nabbed attempting to smuggle crop-destroying roundworms. Yan warned the FBI about CCP agents posing as researchers smuggling deadly fungi and worms. These aren’t isolated incidents but part of a biosecurity nightmare threatening U.S. agriculture.
“The CCP’s quiet infiltration… is a direct threat,” said Erica Knight, an FBI adviser. Her words underscore the stakes: unchecked, these schemes could cripple America’s food supply. The FBI’s leadership is now on high alert, rattled by the national security risks.
The NIH, under previous leadership, had a notoriously weak vetting process for foreign scientists. Up to 1,000 researchers, mostly from China, are now under review by the agency’s intelligence security office. The Government Accountability Office has long warned about such vulnerabilities, issuing six reports in a decade.
A 2021 GAO report flagged foreign conflicts of interest at NIH-partnered universities. Loose screening allowed potential CCP agents to infiltrate sensitive research. The Trump administration’s new vetting process, launched weeks ago, aims to plug these gaping holes.
“China uses these people… that is China’s national strategy,” Yan told Just the News. Her words expose a calculated plot to exploit America’s open research ecosystem. Beijing’s endgame? Dominate global tech and agriculture while weakening the U.S.
Yan's claims about bioweapons targeting agriculture -- “the poor people’s nuclear weapons” -- raise chilling questions. Fusarium graminearum and roundworms could devastate crops, spiking food prices and sparking chaos. The CCP’s playbook, she alleges, thrives on such asymmetric warfare.
Concerns about Chinese infiltration extend beyond labs. Gordan Chang, speaking with Just the News, noted “packs of Chinese males” crossing the open border, especially late in the Biden administration. These groups, often equipped with identical gear, hint at coordinated efforts.
“There is an uptick… in illicit surveillance of our infrastructure,” Chang said. His warning ties border security to the lab scandals, painting a broader picture of CCP aggression. The U.S. faces a multi-front assault on its sovereignty.
The smuggling cases, coupled with Yan’s revelations, have jolted FBI leadership. The NIH’s review of 1,000 scientists signals a long-overdue reckoning. Past complacency under Collins and Fauci left America’s research ecosystem exposed.
Beijing’s alleged use of scientists as CCP pawns demands a robust response. “The US government must treat it as… [a] national threat,” Yan urged. Her call to action resonates with a public weary of foreign exploitation.
The Trump administration’s vetting push is a start, but the stakes are sky-high. From lab leaks to crop-killing fungi, the CCP’s schemes threaten America’s security and prosperity. Time to lock the lab doors and guard the border -- before it’s too late.
