A Chinese national, Chengxuan Han, recently pleaded no contest in federal court for smuggling biological materials into the United States. Han, a Ph.D. student from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, shipped multiple packages of concealed specimens, including roundworms, to a University of Michigan lab in 2024 and 2025. Authorities apprehended her when she arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on June 8, 2025. Initially, Han denied her involvement and deleted data from her devices. However, she eventually admitted to the charges, which included lying to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.
Federal prosecutors emphasized the severity of Han’s actions, arguing that bypassing import regulations and misleading officials poses serious risks. This case highlights ongoing concerns regarding the People’s Republic of China’s attempts to exploit U.S. research institutions. Facing the prospect of up to 20 years in prison for smuggling and five for false statements, Han’s sentencing is set for September 10, 2025.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office criticized the University of Michigan for allowing Han to serve as a visiting scholar, pointing to significant gaps in academic oversight. This incident is part of a broader trend, as China’s espionage operations are now recognized as the most aggressive in American history. Criminal hackers and human spies have infiltrated government agencies, private companies, and critical infrastructures, such as the dismantled secret police station in Manhattan’s Chinatown that aimed to intimidate dissidents.
In more alarming news, Shujun Wang, a 75-year-old Queens resident, co-founded a pro-democracy group while secretly acting as an informant for China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) for nearly 20 years. Prosecutors revealed that he provided information on domestic and international activists, targeting those advocating for democracy in Hong Kong and Tibetan independence. His espionage activities began in 2006 and continued until his arrest. Wang misled investigators during multiple interviews, including one at JFK Airport. Convicted on multiple charges, he could face up to 25 years in prison. His colleagues expressed shock at his betrayal, while his lawyers claimed he was being scapegoated after refusing to cooperate with authorities.
The implications of this growing threat are stark. Chinese dissidents in America, like Anna Yeung-Cheung and Anna Kwok, have faced harassment and threats of kidnapping. Kwok has spoken about living in constant fear after Hong Kong authorities placed a substantial bounty on her head. While sanctions were imposed by the Trump administration against officials responsible for such repression, both women remain aware of the vast reach of China’s influence beyond its borders.
Wang’s case serves as a warning that even ordinary individuals can operate unnoticed in the shadows of espionage. If someone like Wang can evade detection for so long, it raises the unsettling possibility that more valuable operatives remain concealed within the community. A report from the National Counterintelligence and Security Center identifies China as the top espionage threat to U.S. universities and research institutions. The country’s strategic focus on key scientific and technological sectors—including artificial intelligence and semiconductors—underscores the critical nature of this threat.
Since the 1990s, China has developed a framework to exploit overseas students through various means, including state-sponsored scholarships and networks that apply pressure on students to share knowledge. This pattern, defined as “military-civil fusion,” erodes the lines between civilian and military innovation. Specific cases illustrate how research can be misappropriated, such as when a U.S. professor shared genetic data that was later used by Chinese authorities to conduct surveillance on Uyghurs.
Additional scandals and allegations abound in academia. Instances of Chinese students collecting intelligence by posing as classmates are troubling. Ji Chaoqun, a Chinese student in the U.S. Army, was convicted for aiding the MSS in identifying engineers for recruitment purposes. Others, like Harvard professor Charles Lieber, concealed important connections to China’s Thousand Talents Program while receiving significant federal research funding. Several universities have faced penalties for undisclosed affiliations with Huawei, increasing concerns over national security.
The MSS, the largest intelligence agency in the world, prioritizes monitoring Chinese nationals living abroad. This includes a range of invasive practices like WeChat surveillance and recruiting informants within communities on U.S. campuses. Tactics employed by the MSS also involve coercion, leveraging threats to the families of agents still residing in China, a method unavailable to Western intelligence agencies.
In response to these threats, the CIA has initiated campaigns in Chinese aimed at encouraging defections, appealing to fears regarding the safety of families back home. Former diplomat Jim Lewis has warned that the repression China inflicts on its own citizens should concern everyone, stating, “Regimes that mistreat their own extend the same abuse abroad.”
China’s persistent engagement makes it a formidable adversary regarding national security and technological advantage. From 2011 to 2018, over 90 percent of U.S. economic espionage cases were linked to China. Analysts caution against increasing admissions for Chinese nationals, arguing even the current 277,000 students in STEM fields present significant vulnerability to exploitation. With U.S. universities unwittingly aiding China’s military advancements by allowing access to sensitive research, the current visa policies should be thoroughly reconsidered.
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