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TIL CreativesCSIS issues rare espionage alert over suspected Chinese spy targeting Canadian government and academic secrets, raising urgent national security concerns
Canada鈥檚 top intelligence agency has issued an espionage alert, warning federal departments and academic institutions that an individual is allegedly trying to gather sensitive information on behalf of the Chinese government.The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) confirmed it shared the 鈥渆spionage advisory鈥 in recent weeks with multiple government offices and universities across the country. The individual in question, whose identity has not been disclosed, is believed to be seeking privileged data for China鈥檚 intelligence services, CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam told Global News.鈥淐SIS advised recipients to use extreme caution when dealing with this person and avoid discussing confidential and sensitive information with them,鈥 Balsam said. 鈥淪uspicious encounters with this individual should be reported to the appropriate security officials.鈥漈his is one of the most explicit warnings CSIS has made public in recent years, amid growing scrutiny of China鈥檚 global intelligence operations and foreign interference campaigns.Pattern of espionageLive EventsWhile CSIS has not named the person or identified the specific departments or universities involved, this alert follows a series of high-profile cases linking Canadian research institutions to Chinese interests.Yuesheng Wang, a former battery researcher at Hydro-Qu茅bec, became the first person in Canada charged with economic espionage in 2022. Authorities accused him of obtaining trade secrets for China. He faces additional charges filed last year.In a separate case, two federal scientists at Canada鈥檚 top infectious disease lab in Winnipeg were fired in 2021 over concerns about alleged ties to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Government reports later suggested they had shared sensitive data with Chinese researchers.鈥淭he PRC has repeatedly shown that it is willing to use clandestine and deceptive means to acquire intellectual property and emerging technologies,鈥 CSIS wrote in its 2024 annual report, identifying China as Canada鈥檚 top counterintelligence threat.Focus on critical technologiesAccording to CSIS, China is particularly interested in Canada’s advances in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, aerospace, and even space technology, sectors that impact both industry and national defense.In response to 鈥渉ostile actors,鈥 CSIS says it has dramatically increased security briefings for space sector professionals, warning them about the growing risk of sabotage and espionage from adversarial states, including Russia and China.Just last week, the Canadian government ordered Hikvision, a Chinese surveillance tech giant, to shut down its operations in Canada due to national security risks.The Hogue Commission, which investigated foreign interference in Canadian democracy earlier this year, called China 鈥渢he most active perpetrator鈥 of such campaigns and said Beijing poses 鈥渢he most sophisticated and active cyber threat to Canada.鈥滳SIS has made clear it 鈥渄oes not hesitate鈥 to issue such advisories to defend Canada鈥檚 national interests. Still, experts say that transparency will be critical in ensuring both security and trust as international tensions deepen.(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
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(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onCanadian Security Intelligence ServiceChina espionageintelligence threat CanadaHikvision Canadacyber threat Canadaespionage advisoryHikvisioncsisChina spy(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2025 Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online….moreless
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