A Chinese embassy official said Wednesday he was unaware of the case involving two Chinese nationals charged with smuggling a "dangerous biological pathogen" into the U.S. for university research.
"I don't know the specific situation, but I would like to emphasize that the Chinese government has always required overseas Chinese citizens to abide by local laws and regulations and will also resolutely safeguard their legitimate rights and interests," said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Embassy in the U.S.
The statement came after University of Michigan research fellows Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu - who are also boyfriend and girlfriend - were charged with smuggling Fusarium graminearum fungus into the U.S. within the jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Michigan.
Fusarium graminearum is considered a "potential agroterrorism weapon" by the Justice Department and can cause noxious "head blight" on cereal grain crops.
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The fungus causes $1 billion in global damage to crops each year, according to the feds.
The FBI is conducting the investigation along with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
While Liu appeared to deny knowledge of the case, Jian allegedly received funding from the CCP for her work on the fungus inside China.
China was also determined by several entities to be the culprit for the release of the coronavirus pathogen that caused a global pandemic in 2020.
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FBI Director Kash Patel said the fungus involved poses a serious national security threat to the domestic food supply.
CBP Director of Field Operations Marty Raybon said the criminal charges levied against Jian and Liu "are indicative of CBP's critical role in protecting the American people from biological threats that could devastate our agricultural economy and cause harm to humans…"
The University of Michigan also responded to the incident, saying that "as one of the world's leading public research institutions, [it] is dedicated to advancing knowledge, solving challenging problems and improving nearly every facet of the human experience. Our research enterprise across all three campuses is united in this commitment to serving the people of Michigan and the world."
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"We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university's critical public mission," the university said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
"It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals. We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution."
Fox News' Rich Edson and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
