When a Michigan graduate student from China was charged in June in the smuggling of restricted agricultural materials like seeds and a potentially dangerous fungus into the United States, a federal prosecutor said her actions raised “the gravest national security concerns.”

當一名來自中國的密西根大學研究生今年6月被指控將受限農業材料——如種子和一種可能具有危害性的真菌——走私到美國時，一位聯邦檢察官表示，她的行為引發了「最嚴重的國家安全關切」。

A congressional committee chairman urged the University of Michigan, where the student did her research, to investigate its labs, and went on to accuse China of “a broader, coordinated campaign targeting universities across the country.”

一位國會委員會主席指責中國正在開展「針對全美高校的廣泛協同行動」，並敦促該研究生所在的密西根大學對其實驗室展開調查。

But when the student, Yunqing Jian, pleaded guilty earlier this month, she said she had simply been trying to speed up her research into crop protection. The prosecution conceded that it could not prove she had ill intent, though citing the potential for “devastating harm,” it asked a judge for a two-year prison term.

但在本月早些時候，這位名叫簡雲晴（音）的學生認罪時表示，她只是想加快自己在作物保護領域的研究。檢方承認無法證明她有惡意，但仍以「可能造成嚴重傷害」為由，要求法官判處她兩年監禁。

The judge instead sentenced Ms. Jian to time served — five months — and allowed her to return to China.

法官最終僅判處她已服刑期——5個月——並允許她返回中國。

However muted the denouement of the case, some lawmakers and foreign policy experts say it, as well as several other cases against Chinese researchers in the United States, highlight a national security threat posed by ties between American universities and institutions with Chinese scientists.

儘管此案以相對平淡的方式結束，但一些國會議員和外交政策專家表示，該案以及其他幾起針對在美中國研究人員的案件凸顯了美國學術界與中國科學家密切聯繫所構成的國家安全威脅。

American schools and scientific institutions are being pressed to sever ties with Chinese counterparts. Congress is considering restricting these links. And weeks before Ms. Jian, 33, was charged, the federal government vowed to “aggressively revoke” visas for Chinese students, though President Trump later backtracked.

美國學校和科研機構正面臨切斷與中國同行聯繫的壓力。國會正在考慮限制此類聯繫。在33歲的簡雲晴被起訴幾週前，聯邦政府曾宣稱要「積極撤銷」中國學生的簽證，不過川普總統後來收回了這一政策。

More than 275,000 students from China attended school in the United States last year, second only to the number of students from India. Warnings about the potential dangers posed by some foreign students go back decades, but even some who see risks say that the focus on China has been at times cynical and political.

 去年有超過27.5萬名中國學生在美國就讀，人數僅次於印度學生。關於某些外國學生可能構成危險的警告已持續數十年，但即使是看到風險的人也認為，對中國的關注有時帶有惡意揣測和政治色彩。

Ms. Jian’s lawyer spoke of “political hysteria” and prejudice against Chinese students.

簡雲晴的律師提到了針對中國學生的「政治歇斯底里」和偏見。

In a statement after the sentencing, Jerome F. Gorgon Jr., the interim U.S. attorney in Detroit, called Ms. Jian’s conviction “a small but important measure against secret biological threats from China.”

 底特律臨時聯邦檢察官傑羅姆·戈登二世在判決後發表聲明，稱簡雲晴被定罪是「對中國祕密生物威脅採取的一項雖小但重要的措施」。

Pathogens and parasites

 病原體與寄生蟲

Ms. Jian’s smuggling took place when she was working as a postdoctoral fellow at a University of Michigan lab, according to investigators. It came to light after a colleague and boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, flew into Detroit and was found to be transporting the fungus.

根據調查人員透露，簡雲晴的偷帶行為發生在她作為密西根大學實驗室博士後研究員期間。此事因其伴侶、34歲的劉尊永（音）飛抵底特律時被發現攜帶該真菌而曝光。

As part of her guilty plea, Ms. Jian admitted hiding seeds in her boots in a “very small” baggie before traveling to the United States from China, as well as sneaking in other material. She also admitted discussing the best way for Mr. Liu, who is believed to be in China, to smuggle in the fungus.

作為認罪協議的一部分，簡雲晴承認在從中國飛往美國前，將種子放在一個「很小的」塑料袋藏在靴子裡，還偷運了其他材料。她還承認與據信目前在中國的劉尊永討論了偷帶真菌的最佳方式。

Both admitted lying to investigators about their actions.

兩人均承認向調查人員撒謊。

There remains some debate how much danger, if any, their actions posed.

他們的行為究竟構成多大危險——如果有的話——仍存在爭議。

“The fungal strain did not present any appreciable danger of infestation or disease, let alone a ‘significant risk,’” Ms. Jian’s lawyer argued in a sentencing memo.

簡雲晴的律師在量刑備忘錄中辯稱：「該真菌菌株並不構成任何值得關注的侵染或疾病風險，更談不上『重大風險』。」

The fungus, Fusarium graminearum, can cause severe disease in wheat and other crops and can harm humans and animals, but it was not new to the United States, or even to Michigan, experts say.

 專家表示，這種名為禾穀鐮刀菌的真菌可導致小麥等作物出現嚴重病害，也可能危害人類和動物，但它在美國早已存在，甚至密西根就有。

Both scientists worked on research to reduce crop disease, and Ms. Jian’s colleagues and professors at the lab attested in court documents to her collegiality and valuable work contributions. They said the offenses she was charged with appeared out of character.

兩名科學家均從事減少作物病害的研究，簡雲晴在實驗室的同事和教授都作證說她為人友善、貢獻巨大，他們認為她被指控的罪行與她的性格完全不符。

The Chinese Consulate in Chicago, responding to the smuggling charges against Ms. Jian, said that China required its citizens overseas “to strictly abide by local laws and regulations, including those related to entry and exit.” But it said it “firmly opposes the U.S.’s political manipulation of related cases.”

中國駐芝加哥總領事館在回應簡雲晴的偷帶指控時表示，中國要求海外公民「嚴格遵守當地法律法規，包括出入境相關規定」。但同時表示「堅決反對美方對相關案件的政治操弄」。

Zichen Wang, a research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, a think tank in Beijing, called the case “overblown.” Writing in his newsletter, Pekingnology, in July, he said that Ms. Jian’s failure to declare the biological materials appeared to be unethical and illegal, but not a potential bioterror threat, as the American authorities initially described it.

北京全球化智庫研究員王子辰認為此案被「誇大」。他在7月的《Pekingnology》通訊中寫道，簡雲晴未申報生物材料的行為確實不道德且違法，但並不像美國當局最初描述的那樣構成潛在生物恐怖威脅。

Miles Yu, director of the China Center at the Hudson Institute, a think tank in Washington, said in an interview that extra vigilance about the activities of Chinese students and scientists was warranted. Researchers and other travelers bringing in biological materials raises concerns generally, Mr. Yu said, but he said he was particularly concerned by materials from China because of what he described as the country’s “abysmal lack of biosafety standards.”

華盛頓哈德遜研究所中國中心主任余茂春在接受採訪時表示，對中國學生和科學家的活動保持額外警惕是有必要的。他表示，研究人員和其他旅客攜帶生物材料本身就會引發擔憂，但他特別擔心來自中國的材料，因為中國「生物安全標準極度缺失」。

Given the risk to the public, he said, even if a researcher is just trying to avoid a bureaucratic burden, bringing in restricted materials is a “matter of national security.”

他表示，鑒於對公眾構成的風險，即使研究人員只是想規避行政程序，攜帶受限材料也屬於「國家安全問題」。

The U.S. attorney’s office in Detroit is prosecuting several other similar cases.

底特律聯邦檢察官辦公室正在處理其他幾起類似案件。

Earlier this month, three Chinese researchers working in a University of Michigan lab were charged in connection with the investigation of another scientist from China arrested with the undeclared DNA of roundworms, a parasite used in research. That scientist pleaded no contest to the charges and was deported in September, prosecutors say.

本月早些時候，一名中國科學家未申報攜帶用於研究的線蟲DNA寄生蟲被捕，受本案牽連，三名在密西根大學實驗室工作的中國研究人員被起訴。檢察官稱，該科學家對指控表示不抗辯，並於9月被驅逐出境。

“Allegedly attempting to smuggle biological materials under the guise of ‘research’ is a serious crime that threatens America’s national and agricultural security,” the U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi, said in a statement announcing the new charges this month.

美國司法部長帕姆·邦迪在本月宣布新指控的聲明中說：「以『科研』為幌子企圖偷帶生物材料是一項嚴重罪行，威脅著美國的國家和農業安全。」

Politics and Bureaucracy

 政治與官僚主義

The lawmaker who spoke out about the Jian case, Representative John Moolenaar, Republican of Michigan, heads the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. His committee has been pressuring schools to sever ties with Chinese institutions, citing national security risks.

就簡雲晴案發表公開言論的密西根州共和黨眾議員約翰·穆勒納爾是眾議院中共問題特設委員會主席。該委員會以國家安全風險為由，持續向高校施壓要求切斷與中方機構的聯繫。

In January, the University of Michigan, which did not respond to a request for comment, said it would shut down a joint institute with a Chinese school after the committee “strongly encouraged” it to do so. About 10 U.S. universities have taken similar actions under pressure.

密西根大學未回應置評請求，校方在1月表示，將在該委員會「強烈建議」下關閉與一所中國學校的聯合研究所。目前約有10所美國大學在壓力下採取了類似行動。

Mr. Moolenaar has also introduced a bill to deny government funding to scientists who work with anyone “affiliated with a hostile foreign entity,” prohibiting joint research, papers and advising activities.

穆勒納爾還提出了一項法案，拒絕向與「敵對外國實體」有關聯的科學家提供政府資金，禁止聯合研究、合作論文和學術指導活動。

Some academics and advocacy groups have resisted this move, arguing it would harm “the thriving research ecosystem that laid the foundation for American competitiveness and innovation.” And the congressman’s strong stance on Chinese students now seems at odds with that of the Trump administration.

 一些學者和倡導團體抵制這一舉措，認為這將損害「為美國競爭力和創新奠定基礎的繁榮研究生態系統」。而這位議員對中國學生的強硬立場現在似乎與川普政府相左。

Appearing to shift course, Mr. Trump, in an interview with the Fox News host Laura Ingraham, recently said that denying visas to Chinese students would put “half” of American colleges “out of business.” He says that their tuition is critical to schools and that the dangers have been overstated.

川普在接受福克斯新聞主持人勞拉·英格拉恩採訪時似乎改變了立場，他說拒絕中國學生簽證會讓美國「一半的」大學「倒閉」。他表示，這些學生的學費對學校至關重要，危險被誇大了。

Mr. Trump now speaks of allowing 600,000 Chinese student visas, dismissing critics’ concerns. Students from many countries, he suggested, may pose security risks. “Do you think the French are better?” he asked.

川普現在談到要允許60萬中國學生簽證，並對批評者的擔憂不以為然。他表示，許多國家的學生都可能構成安全風險。「你覺得法國人就更好嗎？」他反問。