{"id":2592,"date":"2022-11-27T04:10:57","date_gmt":"2022-11-27T04:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/?p=2592"},"modified":"2022-11-27T04:10:57","modified_gmt":"2022-11-27T04:10:57","slug":"chinese-employee-of-hydro-quebec-arrested-for-economic-espionage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/?p=2592","title":{"rendered":"Chinese Employee of Hydro Quebec Arrested for Economic Espionage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chinese Employee of Hydro Quebec Arrested for Economic Espionage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are details of the arrest in mid-November of a Hydro Quebec<\/strong> employee, one Yuesheng Wang<\/strong> for spying — economic espionage — for Red China. Interestingly, he wasn’t caught by the Mounties — the Mounties don’t ‘always get their man” — but by Hydro Quebec security. Charles Burton<\/strong>, a former professor of Political Science<\/strong> at Brock University<\/strong> and now a Senior Fellow<\/strong> with the Macdonald Laurier Institute<\/strong> told Toronto 1010 Talk Radio <\/strong>(November 16): “Canada doesn’t have the resources or political will to root out” Red Chinese espionage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A former employee of Hydro-Qu\u00e9bec<\/strong> made a first appearance in court Tuesday on charges that he fraudulently obtained a trade secret for the benefit of China<\/a>, and he was ordered to remain detained ahead of a bail hearing. Yuesheng Wang<\/strong>, 35, appeared in Quebec court in Longueuil by videoconference and was assisted by a translator. Wang was detained at the RCMP\u2019s<\/strong> headquarters in Montreal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The resident of Candiac, on Montreal\u2019s South Shore, is the first person in Canada to be charged with economic espionage under the Security of Information Act<\/strong>. Wang was also formally charged on Tuesday with three violations of the Criminal Code<\/strong>: using a computer fraudulently and without authorization; obtaining a trade secret by deceit, falsehood or other fraudulent means; and breach of trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Federal prosecutor Marc Cigana<\/strong> objected to bail in Wang\u2019s case.\u201cIt\u2019s our opinion, after studying all the circumstances and the evidence, that Mr. Wang is a flight risk,\u201d Cigana told reporters after the court hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wang is alleged to have committed the crimes between Jan. 1, 2018 and Aug. 22, 2022, in the course of his duties at Hydro-Qu\u00e9bec<\/strong>. Three of the four charges each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The breach of trust charge carries a maximum five-year sentence. The RCMP<\/strong> alleges that Wang conducted research for Chinese research centres and a Chinese university and that he published scientific articles and filed patents with them rather than with the Quebec utility. Police also alleged he used information without his employer\u2019s consent, harming Hydro-Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s<\/strong> intellectual property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The RCMP<\/strong> said its national security enforcement team began an investigation in August after receiving a complaint from Hydro-Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s<\/strong> corporate security branch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wang, who has a limited knowledge of English and does not speak French, shook his head as the charges were translated into Mandarin for him in court on Tuesday.[Little English; no French — how did this guy get into Canada? Who specifically — the bureaucrats name, please — was responsible?]He tried to have his bail hearing held immediately, but was advised by his lawyer to delay. Quebec court Judge Anne-Marie Beauchemin <\/strong>ordered Wang remanded to a detention centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The case was put off until Friday, when more evidence will be disclosed and when the parties will discuss scheduling a bail hearing. Neither lawyer could say following Tuesday\u2019s hearing whether Wang has Canadian citizenship. [Isn’t that a rather important point?]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wesley Wark<\/strong>, an expert on national security and intelligence issues, said the Wang case isn\u2019t the first economic espionage incident in the country but is the first case that has led to charges under the 21-year-old Security of Information Act. Wark, a senior fellow at the think tank Centre for International Governance<\/strong> Innovation, said the case is \u201cunusual.\u201d …<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘It takes us into the world of university research and university publications, and it\u2019s an important area to wade into, but also very complex in terms of being able to then reach back and pin an economic espionage charge against him.’  The definition of \u201ctrade secret\u201d is very broad, Wark said, which may make the case difficult to prove in court. He said the charges demonstrate that much of the espionage activity in Canada is occurring outside the orbit of the federal government and within the private sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hydro-Qu\u00e9bec<\/strong> said Wang was a researcher who worked on battery materials with the Centre of Excellence in Transportation Electrification and Energy Storage<\/strong>, known as CETEES.<\/strong> The centre develops technology for electric vehicles and for energy-storage systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In a statement, the utility said its security team launched a probe before it called federal authorities, adding that Wang has been fired. Wang, Hydro-Qu\u00e9bec<\/strong> noted, didn\u2019t have access to the utility\u2019s \u201ccore mission,\u201d and it said his access was revoked when suspicions arose.” (Montreal Gazette, <\/u><\/strong>November 15, 2022)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s maddening that we aren’t allowed even to know Wang’s citizenship status. How did this person who speaks no French and little English even qualify to immigrate to Canada? The issue of double loyalty may be a political hand grenade. We’re not even allowed to ask the question. So, let’s put it a little differently. Shouldn’t Chinese immigrants, especially those from Red China, have to give strong evidence of their loyalty to Canada before being accepted? The few immigrants from Taiwan are mostly fiercely anti-communist as are many from Hong Kong. Red China is a different matter. Some immigrants are anti-communist. Some come here for a better and much cheaper education and a much cleaner environment than the Chinese Mainland. Many remain fiercely proud of China which is now an economic powerhouse and a resurgent military power. It’s these people who are susceptible to calls to help Red China through espionage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n