Explainer: What is the agro-terrorism and the threat of the fusarium graminearum that attracts the US-China tension? | Today news

The recent arrest of a Chinese researcher and charges against another for smuggling a dangerous crop-killing fungal in the United States has brought renewed attention to the threat of Agro-terrorism. At the heart of the matter is Fusarium graminearum, a powerful plant pathogen that can ruin cereals and disrupt national food supplies. US officials claim that the two researchers, one of whom worked at a lab from the University of Michigan, were planning to conduct unauthorized research on the fungus – increasing the fear of deliberate efforts to jeopardize US agriculture. The incident, which unfolds amid increased tensions in the US China and trade disputes, emphasizes how scientific cooperation can be exploited to target a country’s most vulnerable infrastructure: its food system. What is agro-terrorism? Agro-terrorism is the intentional use of biological agents-such as plant pathogens, pests or contaminants-to attack a country’s agricultural infrastructure. It is aimed at food production systems for the purpose of causing economic devastation, food insecurity and public panic. Agro-terrorism is attractive to hostile actors because it is low cost, difficult to detect and are able to cause far-reaching economic and social damage. Why agriculture is a soft target agricultural-based sectors is especially vulnerable. Unlike military or financial systems, farms, food processing plants and supply chains are less protected and widely distributed. Biological attacks on crops or livestock may become unnoticed for weeks and are difficult to trace back to the perpetrators. This makes Agro-terrorism a powerful weapon for countries or groups that want to destabilize a competitive nation. Fusarium graminearum: A powerful threat to agro-terrorism in the middle of the current controversy is fusarium graminearum, a fungus that causes fusarium-headed rust-a disease that ruins cereals such as wheat, barley, corn and rice. The fungus not only drops the yields, but also produces a toxin called Vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol), which makes the grain unsafe for the consumption of humans and animals. According to the US Department of Agriculture, this disease causes more than $ 1 billion in crop losses in the United States annually. Breditoxin can cause vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever in livestock and people, further strengthening the impact of public health. The case: Chinese researchers have charged two Chinese citizens, Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, have been charged by US federal prosecutors with the smuggling of Fusarium graminarum in the United States – without proper permits and under false pretenses. Jian, who works at the University of Michigan, is currently in US detention. Liu, her boyfriend and a researcher in China, is apparently in China and remains great. According to the FBI, Liu carried Baggies from the Detroit Airport from the fungus to the US and initially lied about it. He later admitted that he intended to use it for research in a laboratory in Michigan. Jian allegedly received Chinese funding from the government for similar research and expressed loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. Describe smuggling as a ‘national security’, with an emphasis on the CCP ties and the threat of America’s food supply. Why it matters, although fusarium graminearum already exists in the US, the unauthorized import of foreign tribes is dangerous. Variants can be more virulent, pesticide resistant, or adapted to new climates-which make it more difficult to contain. By bringing it into without the right biosecurity controls, it dares new outbreaks or genetic mutations that existing defense cannot do. FBI director Kash Patel warned that it could have “serious consequences … US lives and our economy could put a serious risk.” He emphasized that this case illustrates how state -supported actors can try to infiltrate US institutions and jeopardize critical sectors such as food security. Broader context: US-China tension This incident comes amid weakened relationships between Washington and Beijing. US-China trading conversations stopped after the Geneva tariff resistance trade between the United States and China stopped, a few weeks after both parties in Geneva agreed to a 90-day refrigerator by lowering rates. According to the agreement, China reduced rates on US goods from 125% to 10%, while the US suggested reducing its rates on Chinese imports from 145% to 30%. However, progress has faltered in the midst of renewed tension. US President Donald Trump reconsidered the dispute on May 30, accusing China of “completely violating” the Geneva agreement, although he did not give details. “So much to be sir!” He wrote on social media. In response, the Ministry of Trade in China denied any offenses and accused Washington of doing ‘false charges’ and taking ‘unreasonable’ actions, including export control on AI discs and the recall of Chinese student fish. The Trump administration also recently announced a crackdown on Chinese student visas, citing threats of national security. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has promised to “aggressively recall” visas for Chinese students in sensitive research fields – Beijing has exposed Beijing as “discriminatory”. China answered carefully on its part. Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs spokesman, said he was unaware of the matter, but added that China expected its citizens to fulfill local laws.