Worse Than Covid-19: China Accused Of Smuggling Toxic Fungus Fusarium Graminearum, Experts Warn Of Biological Threat To US

Washington: A chilling warning has been issued by a top expert on China, cautioning about a toxic fungus allegedly smuggled into the United States from China. The alleged toxic fungus poses a possible biological terrorism threat, which could be something worse than the coronavirus. Gordon G Chang, author of ‘China Is Going To War', warned that the US is on the cusp of an agroterrorism threat, more dangerous than Covid-19. Chang's warning comes at a time when authorities are alert after the recent recovery of a toxic fungus in the US, from two Chinese nationals, who were accused of smuggling the fungus from China. 

The fungus, also known as Fusarium graminearum, is considered a dangerous biological pathogen that causes head blight in crops, resulting in billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year. According to the Department of Justice, the said fungus has the potential to be used as an agricultural terrorism weapon. Chang believed that this incident was part of a larger and dangerous conspiracy by China to wage war against the US.

Talking to a foreign media, Fox News, Chang said, "The only way to stop this is to sever relations with China. And I know people think that's drastic, but we're being overwhelmed." He stated that this fungus could be worse than the coronavirus and the US will eventually get hit really hard. Chang said, "Our problem is that we think our relationship with China is normal, but China has hostile intentions towards us."

He asserted that the only way to stop such a threat is to sever relations with China and remain cautious about them. "We are being overwhelmed," he said.

Chang said that Chinese President Xi Jinping frequently talks about war and is mobilising Chinese society for war. He stated, "Xi Jinping talks about going to war all the time, and he's mobilising all of Chinese society to go to war. This is a serious threat, and we need to be prepared for it."

The two Chinese nationals have been accused of smuggling the fungus, Fusarium graminearum, into the US for research. According to an FBI criminal complaint, Zunyong Liu (34), a researcher, brought the fungus into the US while visiting his girlfriend, Yunqing Jian (33), in July 2024.

Agricultural Experts' Views

However, agricultural experts have dismissed claims that the fungus is a threat, as it is already widespread in the US and poses little food safety risk. They said it would be an ineffective biological terrorism weapon and could be managed with fungicides, resistant wheat strains, and testing.

"As a weapon, it would be a pretty ineffective one," said Jessica Rutkoski, a crop sciences professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Experts pointed out that the fungus can be managed with fungicides, resistant wheat strains, and testing.

The US farmers have reportedly been battling the fungus, which causes Fusarium head blight, since the 1900s. The fungus infects wheat, barley, and other grains during rainy years, and a toxic byproduct called vomitoxin is tightly controlled by grain elevators. The experts said that only negligible amounts of vomitoxin make it into the bread, pasta, and cookies consumed in the US, far below levels that would cause human illnesses.