University of Michigan under federal investigation after arrests of Chinese nationals in smuggling cases
The University of Michigan is being federally investigated following the arrests of Chinese nationals in a number of pathogen smuggling cases.
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of the General Counsel announced on Tuesday that it had opened a foreign funding investigation. The department accuses the university of being "inaccurate" in reporting foreign funding disclosures, alleging that the university has a history of "downplaying its vulnerabilities to malign foreign influence."
A letter to U of M's Interim President Domenico Grasso, the DOE requested several documents, including tax records of foreign funding from Jan. 1, 2020, and present, and a complete list of all university and contract personnel involved in research collaborations with non-U.S. research institutions.
Read the full statement from Chief Investigative Counsel Paul Moore:
"Despite the University of Michigan's history of downplaying its vulnerabilities to malign foreign influence, recent reports reveal that UM's research laboratories remain vulnerable to sabotage, including what the U.S. Department of Justice recently described in criminal charges as 'potential agroterrorism' by Chinese nationals affiliated with UM. As the recipient of federal research funding, UM has both a moral and legal obligation to be completely transparent about its foreign partnerships. Unfortunately, tens of millions of dollars in foreign funding in UM's disclosure reports have been reported in an untimely manner and appear to erroneously identify some of UM's foreign funders as 'nongovernmental entities,' even though the foreign funders seem to be directly affiliated with foreign governments. OGC will vigorously investigate this matter to ensure that the American people know the true scope of foreign funding and influence on our campuses."
Colleen Mastony, vice president of Public Affairs at U of M, issued a statement, saying,
"As one of the world's leading public research institutions, the University of Michigan is dedicated to advancing knowledge, solving challenging problems and improving nearly every facet of the human experience. Our research enterprise is united in this commitment to serving the people of Michigan and the world.
"The University of Michigan takes its responsibility to comply with the law extremely seriously, and we will cooperate fully with federal investigators. We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university's critical public mission."
On June 3, two Chinese nationals were charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods in the United States, false statements and visa fraud. Federal investigators allege that Yunqing Jian, 33, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, smuggled a "potential agroterrorism weapon" via a noxious fungus into the U.S.
Jian worked at the University of Michigan, according to officials. Her boyfriend, Liu, works at a Chinese university.
Less than a week later, a third Chinese national was accused of smuggling biological materials into the U.S. for work at a U of M laboratory. Chengxuan Han is charged with smuggling goods into the U.S. and making false statements.
All three people were from the People's Republic of China.
This comes after the university ended its partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai. The end to the partnership was the latest case of American universities moving away from Chinese universities over concerns by U.S. lawmakers that Americans could be helping the Chinese to develop critical technology to boost China's military capabilities.
Eastern Michigan University also ended partnerships with two Chinese universities.
