Top China Expert Says Toxic Fungus 'Something Worse' Than Covid, But Others Doubt 'Agroterrorism' Claim

Last Updated:June 08, 2025, 14:26 IST

The US Department of Justice said the crop fungus -- Fusarium graminearum -- is a dangerous biological pathogen with the potential to be used as an agricultural terrorism weapon

Samples of a pathogen identified by the US Department of Justice as Fusarium graminearum, a fungus it said was classified in scientific literature as a potential agroterrorism weapon. (Image: Reuters)

A top expert on China, who has warned of a potential agroterrorism threat after a toxic fungus was allegedly smuggled into the US, said this could be “something worse" than coronavirus.

Author of China Is Going To War, Gordon G Chang has suggested catastrophic consequences if the US does not sever relations with China over this incident.

“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," Chang told Fox News.

Agricultural experts, however, doubted the claims that the crop fungus is a threat as it is already widespread in the US and poses little food safety risk. In a report published by news agency Reuters, they said it will be ineffective as an agricultural terrorism weapon and can be managed by fungicides, resistant wheat strains, and testing.

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

The Department of Justice said the crop fungus is a dangerous biological pathogen with the potential to be used as an agricultural terrorism weapon. In a statement it said it causes “head blight" in some crops and is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses globally each year.

‘XI JINPING TALKS ABOUT GOING TO WAR ALL THE TIME’

Chang told Fox News that the couple “should be sent to Guantanamo" – the infamous US military facility linked to abuse and torture after the 9/11 terror attacks. He said this amounts to China waging war against the US.

He said this fungus is “perhaps something worse" than Covid-19, and the US is going to eventually “get hit really hard". There is widespread controversy over the origin of SARS-CoV-2, which caused the Covid-19 pandemic, as many experts say it was engineered in a Chinese laboratory.

“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. 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," he was quoted.

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News world Top China Expert Says Toxic Fungus 'Something Worse' Than Covid, But Others Doubt 'Agroterrorism' Claim