US Arrests Chinese Cancer Researcher for Visa Fraud

Researcher did not disclose military ties

Adding to US-China tensions, US officials have arrested Tang Juan, a visiting cancer researcher from China. She is being accused of lying on her visa application and failing to disclose past military ties, images were released of her in a uniform.

Tang Juan came to the US in October, and the FBI started investigating her in June. She spent several days in the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco before charges were filed against her. She is expected in court on Monday.

She was a visiting researcher at the UC Davis Department of Radiation Oncology, and her work was being funded by the Chinese ministry of education as part of an exchange program. US officials say she is not entitled to diplomatic immunity.

In the context of the US closing China’s Houston consulate, it’s not surprising that they also want to go after someone else for a visa violation and spending time at a consulate. At the same time, going after a cancer researcher probably isn’t a great move against them.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.