A Chinese national was detained at a Texas airport after allegedly attempting to smuggle confidential cancer research out of the United States. Yunhai Li, a 35-year-old researcher employed by the MD Anderson Cancer Center since 2022, was intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on July 9. Authorities discovered sensitive medical information in his belongings during an inspection.
Li faced charges of theft of trade secrets and tampering with a government record. The stolen data, reportedly funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense, included research tied to cancer treatment advancements. Court documents revealed Li had uploaded confidential files to his personal Google Drive account while working at MD Anderson. When confronted, he deleted the files but also transferred them to a Chinese-based file-hosting service.
This case follows another incident in July, when a Chinese national was arrested for allegedly hacking U.S. universities to steal COVID-19 research. The individual, Xu Zewei, faced charges of computer intrusions targeting institutions studying vaccines and treatments. A second suspect, Zhang Yu, remained at large. U.S. officials described the actions as an attack on American scientific innovation.
Li was detained while attempting to board a flight to China. His case highlights ongoing concerns over the unauthorized transfer of sensitive research abroad.
