Chinese Doctor Caught Smuggling US Cancer Research to China

A Chinese national working at one of America’s top cancer research centers has been arrested in Texas for allegedly trying to smuggle sensitive, taxpayer-funded medical research back to China. The case is another glaring reminder of the growing national security threat posed by China’s infiltration of U.S. scientific institutions.

Yunhai Li, a 35-year-old Chinese researcher employed by MD Anderson Cancer Center since 2022, was intercepted at a Texas airport by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on July 9, just moments before he attempted to board a flight to China. Authorities say he was caught with stolen cancer research and trade secrets, some of which he had allegedly uploaded to Chinese servers.

“This intellectual property stays with us, so we can save lives,” said Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, who confirmed that the data Li attempted to export was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense meaning American taxpayers footed the bill.

Li is now facing charges of theft of trade secrets and tampering with a government record serious offenses that could land him in prison for up to 10 years.

Here’s what investigators discovered:

• Li uploaded unpublished and confidential medical research to both Google Drive and a Chinese-based file-hosting service.

• When MD Anderson confronted him about the breach, Li deleted the files from his Google account but not before authorities found copies stored on Chinese servers.

• Among the stolen data were “writings, drawings, and models” containing restricted and unpublished cancer research material classified as intellectual property and trade secrets.

• Li failed to disclose a conflict of interest to his U.S. employer: While working at MD Anderson, he was also actively conducting research for The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University and was receiving grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

In a sworn statement, Li outrageously claimed, “I believe I have the right to possess and retain this data.”

That data was not his it belonged to the American people.

And this isn’t the first time. According to a 2020 Senate report, the Chinese Communist Party has systematically targeted U.S. universities and labs through so-called “talent recruitment programs” aimed at stealing high-value intellectual property. In fact, over 160 Chinese nationals working in U.S. federally funded research institutions were investigated in recent years for failure to disclose ties to Chinese government-backed programs.

Let’s be blunt: This is espionage disguised as research, and it’s happening on American soil.

The Biden administration, which has routinely downplayed Chinese aggression, must stop pretending this is anything less than a national security emergency. We can’t afford to fund critical medical breakthroughs only to have them handed over to the CCP.

Li has since posted $5,100 bail and surrendered his passport. He’s out of jail for now. But this case should send a strong message: America’s research and innovation aren’t up for grabs.

Share this story to wake people up to what’s happening in our labs. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed on what our leaders won’t tell you.