Supported by the China Scholarship Fund regime, the students learned how to keep a low profile and listen carefully while visiting Canadian universities. Students searched for information on quantum computing, big data and artificial intelligence Globe and Mail.
In order to stay under the radar, students sometimes change majors when applying for a visa. Someone studying remote sensing would list “Forestry” as their major.
While remote sensing is actually used in forestry, it also has military uses in tracking enemy positions and movements via satellites and aircraft.
During the training, students were asked to pledge their loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. A similar situation occurred in Sweden, where Chinese students who were sent there had to take an oath to the CCP.
The Canadian Security and Intelligence Service said in its 2021 public report that it is actively working to warn the academic community about the dangers of spying on foreign students. CSIS said it conducted dozens of briefings at conferences and individual universities.
“These government-sponsored technology transfer activities take advantage of the collaborative, transparent and open nature of Canada”
CSIS wants to ensure that university researchers “are not co-opted by foreign nations to gain military, intelligence and economic advantages at the expense of Canadian interests and values.”
Unfortunately, Canadian researchers are too gullible, the security service argued. “These state-supported technology transfer activities take advantage of the collaborative, transparent and open nature of the Canadian government, the private sector and society,” the report said.
Canada’s security service shared the report of spying on Chinese students with its Five Eyes partners – the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
A Globe and Mail report claimed that China diverted US postdoctoral students to Canada after the Trump administration began denying visa applications for students from the country. The Biden administration continued to take a hard line.
The news comes as Canada is embroiled in a debate over the Chinese regime’s meddling in the country’s 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the meddling, but says it did not affect the outcome of the election and a public inquiry is underway. unnecessary.
