Former University of Michigan researcher accused of hiding Chinese military drone ties

Federal authorities say a Chinese national who worked as a research scholar at the University of Michigan lied about his work on drones in the People’s Republic of China.

According to a criminal complaint filed last week, Chuan Wang allegedly denied involvement in the production of military products during an interview with customs officers in 2023 when in reality he ran a company that designs and manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles and drones for the Chinese military.

According to the complaint, Wang entered the United States in 2012 on a visa for visiting students and scholars to conduct research on aeroelastic wing design at the University of Michigan. In his visa application, Wang wrote that he planned to develop a “radio-controlled model airplane with high aspect ratio” and conduct related “design, fabrication, test, flight and analysis.”

A few years later, Wang obtained a 10-year tourist visa, describing himself as a business student employed by a media production company. Federal authorities noted that the employment information Wang later submitted — which required biennial updates — changed multiple times.

In one filing, Wang identified himself as a technical engineer for Volition Innovations Science and Technology. In another, he listed his employer as his father, Zhi Yuan Wang. In a third, he identified Tianxun Chuangxin Tech as his employer.

Then, in July 2023, Wang was interviewed by Customs and Border Protection officers while attempting to board a flight to China from Detroit Metropolitan Airport. When officers asked Wang about Tianxun, investigators said he could not explain his engineering specialty and eventually stopped answering questions. CBP officers then searched Wang and his luggage and seized his phone.

By November 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation had opened an investigation into Wang and Tianxun. According to the complaint, investigators found Chinese news articles, promotional materials and other online records as early as 2015 describing Wang as the co-founder of Tianxun, a drone manufacturer supplying the Chinese military.

Authorities also cited blog posts allegedly written by Wang discussing his success at Tianxun and how he developed a passion for drone design in high school. The posts reportedly included photographs of Wang presenting one of his drones to former Chinese air force general Xu Qiliang.

When investigators reviewed Wang’s cell phone, authorities say they found thousands of documents related to the design, manufacture and sale of unmanned aerial vehicles. In a message dated Sept. 13, 2022, authorities say Wang received confirmation of a bank deposit paid by the Chinese military’s Special Weapons Bureau.

Wang was reportedly the twelfth Chinese national tied to the University of Michigan to be charged in a federal national security case since 2023. In all, five were accused of smuggling research material: including fungus and roundworms; one allegedly voted illegally; and five were accused of photographing military equipment.

According to Wang’s online case docket, he has not yet been arraigned on charges for making false statements.

美国联邦当局称，一名曾在密歇根大学担任研究学者的中国公民就其在中国从事无人机研究的工作撒了谎。

根据上周提交的刑事诉状，王川在 2023 年接受海关官员讯问时否认参与军用产品的生产，而实际上他经营着一家为中国军方设计和制造无人机和无人驾驶飞行器的公司。

根据起诉书，王某于2012年持访问学者签证进入美国，前往密歇根大学从事气动弹性机翼设计研究。他在签证申请中写道，他计划开发一种“高展弦比的无线电遥控模型飞机”，并进行相关的“设计、制造、测试、飞行和分析”。

几年后，王某获得了一份为期十年的旅游签证，自称是受雇于一家媒体制作公司的商科学生。联邦当局注意到，王某后来提交的就业信息（需要每两年更新一次）多次变更。

在一份文件中，王先生自称是沃利创科技公司的技术工程师。在另一份文件中，他将雇主列为他的父亲王志远。在第三份文件中，他将雇主列为天迅创信科技公司。

2023年7月，王某在底特律都会机场准备登机前往中国时，被美国海关与边境保护局（CBP）官员盘问。当官员询问王某关于天迅（Tianxun）的情况时，调查人员称他无法解释自己的工程专业背景，最终停止回答问题。随后，CBP官员搜查了王某及其行李，并没收了他的手机。

截至2023年11月，美国联邦调查局已对王某和天迅展开调查。根据起诉书，调查人员发现，早在2015年，一些中国新闻文章、宣传材料和其他网络记录就将王某描述为天迅的联合创始人，而天迅是一家为中国军方提供无人机的制造商。

当局还援引了据称是王某撰写的博客文章，文章中他讲述了自己在天迅无人机公司取得的成功，以及高中时期如何对无人机设计产生浓厚兴趣。据报道，这些文章中包含王某向中国空军前将领徐其亮展示其无人机的照片。

调查人员检查王某的手机后，当局称发现了数千份与无人机设计、制造和销售相关的文档。在2022年9月13日的一条短信中，当局称王某收到了中国军方特种武器局支付的一笔银行存款的确认信息。

据报道，王某是自2023年以来，与密歇根大学有关联的第十二位因联邦国家安全案件而被起诉的中国公民。总共有五人被控走私研究材料，包括真菌和线虫；一人被控非法投票；五人被控拍摄军事装备。

根据王某的在线案件档案，他尚未因作伪证罪被提审。