In a stunning reminder that medical and biological smuggling goes on in both directions between the United States and China, a Chinese doctor was apprehended in July for attempting to smuggle significant cancer research data out of the United States, presumably to China. The doctor, Yunhai Li, has now been charged with theft of trade secrets and tampering with government records.
A Chinese doctor was busted at a Texas airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle US-funded cancer research back to his home country – and could face federal charges for the brazen theft.
Yunhai Li, 35, was nabbed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on July 9 after border patrol discovered the sensitive confidential medical records on his laptop during an inspection ahead of his flight to China, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
The Chinese national, who was employed as a researcher at MD Anderson Cancer Center since 2022, was reportedly working on a vaccine to prevent breast cancer from spreading before abruptly quitting on July 1 and uploading the nearly-completed research to a Chinese server on his computer.
"Brazen" just doesn't quite cover it. The Chinese national had evidently been planning this for some time and was being paid by "Chinese entities," which almost certainly refers to the Chinese Communist Party, throughout his research in the United States.
Prosecutors said Li uploaded his research to his personal Google Drive while employed at the cancer center, and when caught by the institution, deleted the files and proved he had done so.
But Li – whose potentially life-changing work was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense – was also being paid by Chinese entities and had shared his files to a similar drive on a Chinese server called Baidu, court documents showed, Fox 26 reported.
Court records show he was secretly conducting research for Chongqing Medical University while employed and in the US on a non-immigrant scholar exchange visa – and never disclosed the conflict of interest despite signing a non-disclosure form that he had no foreign research ties or funding.
This should serve as a stark reminder that, first, China is not in the habit of dealing honestly with other nations, and second, the smuggling of biological and medical information is going both ways. We have had several high-profile cases in recent months of Chinese students and others caught trying to smuggle various biological materials into the United States. This makes one wonder how many such people have succeeded.
See More: They Haven't Stopped: Chinese Students Attempted to Smuggle Agricultural Bioweapon Into US
Chinese National Nabbed by DOJ for Allegedly Smuggling in Biological Material—and She's From Wuhan
In this case, the doctor was intimately involved with the research he was trying to smuggle out of the country. Why is this important? Because he not only had access to the information, he understood it.
Dr. Li has now been re-arrested and charged:
Following his arrest, Li allegedly told police he swiped the research because he felt it was his right, insisting it was “going to waste,” according to court documents, the outlet reported.
The disgraced scientist was re-arrested Monday and charged with theft of trade secrets and tampering with government records, offenses which carry up to ten years in prison and hefty fines if convicted.
Another stark reminder: China is not an ally, they are not our friend, they are an adversary. Yes, we conduct trade with China, and yes, Chinese nationals are traveling to the United States, and vice versa. But there should be no illusions as to the nature of China and the Chinese Communist Party. This incident again bears that notion out.
Then again, President Trump recently announced an increase in the number of Chinese students studying here
See More: President Trump Says the Number of Chinese Students in US Universities Will Increase to 600 Thousand
It's difficult to see what the United States has to gain from this.
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