‘Something Worse Than Covid’: Expert Sounds Alarm After Fungus Smuggled Into US From China

<p>An expert on China has warned of “something worse” than Covid, saying that the case of fungal blight smuggling from China is “part of a years-long effort to ruin American agriculture”. Calling it a “weapon of mass destruction,” the US-based expert warned that the country may get hit eventually, with not just covid or fentanyl but with something worse if it didn’t sever relations with China.&nbsp;</p>
<p>His claims come days after an alarming case involving two Chinese nationals were accused of illegally bringing a dangerous agricultural fungus into the United States, sparking concerns over biosecurity. The US Department of Justice recently charged Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, for attempting to smuggle Fusarium graminearum, a fungus that severely affects key crops like wheat, rice, maize, and barley, into the country.</p>
<p>This particular strain is known to cause &ldquo;head blight,&rdquo; a disease that destroys harvests and causes vomiting, liver damagae, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock. US Justice Department also warned that the fungus, often referenced in scientific research as a “potential agroterrorism weapon,” contributes to billions of dollars in agricultural damage globally. The couple is believed to have previously researched the fungus in China before attempting to transport it into the US.</p>
<h3>’They Should Be Sent to Guantanamo,’ Says Expert</h3>
<p>China top expert Gordon G. Chang, a noted author and analyst, reacted strongly to the incident during an interview with Fox News, asserting that the duo’s actions constituted a hostile act against the United States, which amounts to waging a war against the country. “This means the couple, for instance, should be sent to Guantanamo,&rdquo; Chang stated, emphasising the severity of the threat.</p>
<p>”In May 2019, the state media People’s Daily, the most authoritative publication in China, carried a landmark editorial that declared a people’s war on us. We are Americans, so we think we are entitled to ignore the propaganda of hostile regimes. But for a communist party, that phrase has great resonance. What they are doing with their strident anti-Americanism is creating a justification to strike our country,” he said.</p>
<h3>’We Are Going to Get Hit Really Hard'</h3>
<p>The fungus smuggling is not an isolated incident, Chang warned, citing other instances of bio-related threats from China. &ldquo;In 2020, Americans in all 50 states received from China seeds that were unsolicited… and then this year, Timu, the online Chinese retailer, sent seeds to Americans unsolicited,&rdquo; he explained.</p>
<p>The China expert’s broader message was clear and urgent, stressing how “the only way to stop this is to sever relations with China. And I know people think that’s drastic, but we are being overwhelmed.”</p>
<p>He further warned, “We are going to get hit eventually. We are going to get hit really hard, not just with Covid, not just with fentanyl, but perhaps with something worse.”</p>
<p>Chang further reiterated that the US must act with greater urgency to counter threats from Beijing. &ldquo;Xi Jinping talks about going to war all the time, and he is mobilising all of Chinese society to go to war. So we can lose our country… because we are not defending ourselves with the vigour and the determination that is necessary.”</p>
<p>The origin of the coronavirus continues to be a subject of global debate, with some experts alleging it could have been engineered in a lab in China.</p>
<p>Chang, who has authored books such as ‘China Is Going to War’, lived in China and Hong Kong for nearly 20 years and held senior legal positions at leading firms, including Paul Weiss and Baker &amp; McKenzie.<br /><br /></p>