[Source/Observer Network Qi Qian] The Trump administration is determined to target Chinese students in the US. According to a June 9 message from the US Department of Justice, after investigating and indicting two Chinese students, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) again indicted a third Chinese student with the same charges, claiming that the student was suspected of "smuggling biological materials" and lying to FBI agents. US officials attempted to escalate the issue, packaging this case as a "national security incident".

According to reports by the New York Post and Detroit News, this is the third time within two weeks that the Trump administration has charged Chinese citizens with federal crimes, and also the second case involving alleged "smuggling of biological materials".

It is worth noting that recently, some media outlets reported that senior leaders of the US Department of Justice are currently taking advantage of the situation to discuss restarting the infamous "China Initiative" in academia. This initiative aims to harass and persecute Chinese experts and scholars.

According to the statement released by the US Department of Justice, the indictment shows that this Chinese citizen was invited to serve as a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan. After arriving at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on local time on the 8th, they were arrested and charged with "concealing or misreporting biological material packages and making false statements".

The involved Chinese scholar denied the above charges, stating that she had only sent the related samples "as a 'game'" and wrote clues on each plasmid. Media-released evidence shows that she also wrote on a letter, "Wishing you enjoy the game." It is understood that this scholar was detained after her first appearance in the Detroit Federal Court on the afternoon of the 9th. If found guilty, she could face up to 20 years of federal imprisonment.

American prosecutors, the FBI, and customs officials added fuel to the fire in their statements, attempting to package it as a "national security incident". Among them, Acting Prosecutor Jerome Gorgon claimed that this incident was "alarming" and "threatened American national security". However, American scholars were not impressed.

Michael Shapiro, a biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, told the Associated Press that he "didn't think" the biological materials involved in this case posed any danger.

In addition, according to the South China Morning Post, Dennis Simon, a non-resident researcher at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and a guest professor at Duke University, similarly stated that compared to "endangering national security", the actions of this Chinese visiting scholar were more like an "harmless academic misjudgment", likely due to an underestimation and misunderstanding of America's compliance and biosafety protocols.

The involved scholar said that she had only sent the related samples "as a 'game'". Media

On June 3rd local time, the US Department of Justice claimed that two Chinese students were investigated and prosecuted for smuggling toxic bacteria strains. On April 4th, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, "I am not aware of the specific situation. The Chinese government always requires its citizens overseas to strictly abide by local laws and regulations while legally safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens abroad."

Following this, Kash Patel, an Indian-American FBI director and a loyal supporter of Trump who advocates a tough stance against China, issued a statement adding fuel to the fire, saying, "This case warns us that China is ceaselessly deploying agents and researchers to infiltrate American institutions in order to target our food supply. This will have serious consequences... putting the lives of American people and the national economy at serious risk."

However, both the Associated Press and CNN pointed out that the bacterial strains involved, which the FBI hyped up into so-called "agricultural terrorism weapons", were Fusarium graminearum, the main pathogen causing Fusarium head blight in crops such as wheat and barley. It leads to reduced yields and quality degradation. Every year, it causes billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide and can cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock.

FBI Director Kash Patel Video Screenshot

At the same time, Fusarium graminearum is also the most common pathogen in the United States, widely distributed in the eastern and upper midwestern regions. American research circles have been conducting in-depth studies on it for decades, cultivating numerous researchers in this field and publishing a large number of papers.

According to a report by the Associated Press, researchers often bring foreign plants, animals, and even fungal strains into the US for study. Studying the genes of foreign fungal strains helps scientists understand mechanisms of heat tolerance, pesticide resistance, or mutations. Nicole Gautier, a plant pathologist at the University of Kentucky who studies Fusarium, said, "We study variations among fungi, just like studying human variations."

The South China Morning Post previously cited scholars' concerns that the Trump administration might politicize this matter and make a big deal out of it, which would not only further damage cooperation between China and the US in agriculture and other fields but also accelerate the return of Chinese talent in the US.

In recent years, the US government has begun frequently targeting Chinese students. In 2020, during Trump's first term, the infamous "China Initiative" was launched, resulting in visa rejections and deportations of many Chinese students and scholars, leading to a series of lawsuits against academics. Last year, many Chinese students were still subjected to unfair questioning and deported upon arrival at US airports.

After Trump took office in January, he reignited the trade war with China and targeted Chinese students again. On May 28th, the Trump administration threatened to revoke visas for many of the approximately 277,000 Chinese students in the US and conduct additional reviews for future applicants from mainland China and Hong Kong.

On June 5th, Nikkei Asia cited US media reports stating that senior leaders of the US Department of Justice were using this as an opportunity to discuss restarting the infamous "China Initiative" in academia. It was unclear whether the original name would be retained.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning previously responded to related issues, stating that the US side, citing ideology and national security as excuses, unreasonably canceled Chinese students' visas, seriously infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students and disrupting normal cultural exchanges between the two countries. China firmly opposes this and has raised representations with the US side.

Mao Ning said that this politically motivated, discriminatory practice exposes the hypocrisy of America's supposed freedom and openness, and will further harm America's own international image and national credibility.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7514155991596941836/

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