China’s Efforts to Steal Technology in Academia, Private Sector Escalating: CSIS Director

Stealing Technology: China’s Escalating Efforts in Academia and Private Sector, Warns CSIS Director

April 30, 2024 TruthUSA

Warning from Canada’s top intelligence official that China’s technology theft efforts are expanding beyond government institutions to target academia and the private sector.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service director David Vigneault made these remarks on April 29 while testifying before the House of Commons special committee on the Canada–People’s Republic of China (PRC) relationship.

He mentioned, “There have been significant efforts by the Communications Security Establishment to thwart numerous cyberattacks. The scale of these attacks on government institutions is staggering.”

“However, we are observing an increasing trend where PRC hacking groups are not only targeting government entities but are also focusing on the private sector and academia to obtain the information necessary to advance their goals,” he added.

This information came to light during a discussion between Mr. Vigneault and NDP MP Charlie Angus, who brought up a well-known incident in 2014 where a cyberattack supported by China breached Canada’s National Research Council systems. Mr. Angus questioned the Canadian government’s contradictory approach to Beijing, pursuing increased trade while being targeted by hostile actions from the regime.

Mr. Vigneault, who took part in investigating the 2014 attack, highlighted that Canada and its international partners observed a more aggressive stance from Beijing following Xi Jinping’s leadership ascent.

Chinese Recruitment Programs

The spotlight is now on Beijing’s intellectual property theft following the exposure of documents linked to the dismissal of two scientists from Canada’s high-security lab in Winnipeg.

The married scientists, Xiangguo Qiu and Keding Cheng, were escorted out of Winnipeg’s National Microbiology Lab (NML) by the RCMP in July 2019 and were later terminated in January 2021.

Allegations were made that the couple had ties to Beijing and had participated in China’s global “talent recruitment programs,” programs that Westernintelligence agencies warn are designed to encourage economic espionage and theft of intellectual property. Ms. Qiu was part of the renowned “Thousand Talents Program,” aimed at attracting top global scientists to bolster China’s economic and military capabilities. On the other hand, Mr. Cheng applied for a similar Chinese initiative in 2013 while working at the Winnipeg lab.

Concerns were raised by security officials over Ms. Qiu’s undisclosed research collaborations with China, her involvement in an undisclosed patent in China stemming from NML research, and her submission of a patent in China in October 2017 without the knowledge of Canada’s Public Health Agency overseeing the NML.

Despite these concerns, Ms. Qiu was still authorized to send deadly pathogens to a Chinese research facility in 2018.

The Canada-China committee MPs are pressing for answers regarding the delayed investigation into the dismissed scientists, initiated long after initial suspicions were raised. Although the NML informed the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) about the potential involvement of Ms. Qiu and Mr. Cheng in foreign activities, their termination occurred two and a half years later in January 2021.

Referencing his past private sector experience in downsizing, Conservative MP Michael Chong questioned the extended timeline for removing the two scientists, questioning, “Considering the duration of nearly two and a half years in this case, do you believe that was an appropriate length of time?”

Mr. Vigneault defended the timeline for CSIS to provide intelligence to the Public Health Agency of Canada, stating that it was executed efficiently.

He refrained from commenting on whether CSIS had speculated that Ms. Qiu and Mr. Cheng would flee the country. The scientists have since returned to China, with reports of Ms. Qiu engaging in research for the Chinese military.

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