Chinese (PRC) Espionage - Canada

From: <reginal..._at_hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 17:42:20 -0700

"Government 'concerned' about Chinese espionage

CTV.ca News Staff

Updated: Fri. Apr. 14, 2006 11:31 PM ET

The federal government is 'concerned' that Chinese spies are stealing
Canada's industrial and high-technology secrets. Foreign Affairs
Minister Peter MacKay told CTV.

'We're very concerned about economic espionage,' MacKay said in an
interview with CTV's [program] Question Period, to be broadcast Sunday
on CTV at 12 p.m. ET.

While in opposition, the Conservatives challenged the Liberal-led
government to act on reports of Chinese espionage.

While acting as Conservative foreign affairs critic, Stockwell Day
called on former Prime Minister Paul Martin to address the issue during
a visit to Beijing in January 2005. Day is now the public safety
minister.

As the opposition leader, Harper [current prime minister] himself
pressured Martin to confront the Chinese government, quoting estimates
by former Canadian Security Intelligence Service agent Michel
Juneau-Katsuya on the number of spies operating in Canada.

Now, the conservative government appears ready to act.

'It is something we want to signal that we want to address, and to
continue to raise with the Chinese at the appropriate time,' MacKay
said.

Intelligence files reportedly suggest that an estimated 1,000 Chinese
agents and informants operate in Canada. Many of them are visiting
students, scientists and business people, told to steal cutting-edge
technology.

An example being touted as copied technology is China's Redberrry -- an
imitation of the Blackberry portable e-mail device, created by
Waterloo, Ontario - based Research in Motion Ltd.

'The Blackberry RIM company is a perfect example of the type of
technology and the economic impact that protecting that kind of
trademark,' MacKay said.

According to a 2003-2004 CSIS report to Parliament, foreign spies are
trying to uncover ' Canada's scientific and technological developments,
critical economic and information infrastructurre, military and other
classified information, putting at risk Canada's national security.'

However, CSIS does not specifically mention China in the report.

'It would appear, based on evidence and reporting, that there is a fair
bit of activity here,' MacKay said.

Juneau-Katsuya said the former Liberal government knew of the
espionage, but was too afraid to act.

'We didn't want to piss off or annoy the Chinese,' said Juneau-Katsuya,
who headed the agency's Asian desk. '(They're) too much of an important
market.'

However, he argued that industrial espionage affects Canada's
employment levels.

'For every $1 million that we lose in intellectual property or
business, we lose about 1,000 jobs in Canada,' he said.

The Chinese embassy in Ottawa has denied the spy claims.

Meanwhile, a recent decision to allow Chinese political dissident Lu
Ducheng, 43, to emigrate to Canada has already raised tensions between
Beijing and Ottawa.

China imprisoned Lu for nine years after he defaced a portrait of Mao
Zedong in Tiananmen Square with paint. He received an immigration visa
from Canada earlier this month.

Russia has also attempted to steal Canadian technology, leading to the
arrest of two operatives in 1996.

With a report by CTV's Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife

Copyright 2002-2006 Bell Globalmedia Inc."
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The End
Reg Curtis VE9RWC
Received on Sat Mar 02 2024 - 00:57:20 CST