University of Waterloo Professor Says He Is Unaware of Adviser Role at US-Sanctioned Chinese University
University of Waterloo professor Xuemin Shen is seen in a 2019 photograph receiving an “appointment letter” from a leading university in China that has been identified for its ties to the Chinese military. However, the professor denies having any position at that university.
In the photo, Mr. Shen is seen receiving a certificate titled “appointment letter” in Chinese from HIT VP Zhen Liang. The photo is featured in an August 2019 news release from HIT’s Shenzhen campus in China’s Guangdong Province. The words “Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen,” in both Chinese and English, can be seen on the wall behind the two men.
Another image from the release shows a screen displaying the Chinese words “Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Professor Shen Xuemin, Chief Academic Adviser Appointment Ceremony, Aug. 29, 2019.”
Despite the existence of these photos, the professor, who also goes by the English name Sherman Shen, maintains that he holds no position at HIT at all.
“I am not aware about my position as the ‘chief international academic advisor’ at the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) in China at all. This is not true and I never heard about it. I don’t have any position at HIT,” wrote Mr. Shen in an email to The Epoch Times.
Mr. Shen, who specializes in wireless communications and networking, is a professor in the University of Waterloo’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
In June 2020, HIT was added to the U.S. Entity List for its links to the Chinese military. According to the bureau, HIT was added for “acquiring and attempting to acquire U.S.-origin items in support of programs for the People’s Liberation Army.” Additionally, HIT may have violated United Nations sanctions by providing training to North Korean scientists and engineers, according to the China Defence Universities Tracker of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
Furthermore, the ASPI’s China Defence Universities Tracker designates HIT as posing “very high risk” due to its top-secret security credentials, many defence labs and research areas, strong connections to China’s defence industry, and involvement in covert activities.
Mr. Shen also holds the title of honorary professor at two top Chinese universities: Peking University and Tsinghua University, according to his University of Waterloo profile. The ASPI has assessed the two as having “high” and “very high” risk respectively in terms of their connections to the Chinese military and their security credentials.
Concerns have been raised by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) regarding China’s threats to innovation, intellectual property (IP), and foreign academic institutions.
At an Oct. 17 public forum at Stanford, intelligence chiefs from the Five Eyes alliance discussed these issues, pointing out that individuals without formal intelligence training but with relevant subject matter expertise, such as scientists and business people, are among the targets.
Shawn Tupper, deputy minister of Public Safety Canada, testified before the parliamentary committee and warned that Beijing’s Thousand Talents Plan seeks to exploit Canada’s private sector, universities, and colleges using scholarships, sponsored trips, and visiting professorships to recruit individuals to advance PRC (People’s Republic of China) objectives.
