Canada's security under threat as CSIS uncovers Chinese spy targeting government secrets

Canada’s 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 “espionage advisory” 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’s intelligence services, CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam told Global News.

“CSIS advised recipients to use extreme caution when dealing with this person and avoid discussing confidential and sensitive information with them,” Balsam said.

“Suspicious encounters with this individual should be reported to the appropriate security officials.”

This is one of the most explicit warnings CSIS has made public in recent years, amid growing scrutiny of China’s global intelligence operations and foreign interference campaigns.

Pattern of espionage

While 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-Québec, 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’s 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.

“The PRC has repeatedly shown that it is willing to use clandestine and deceptive means to acquire intellectual property and emerging technologies,” CSIS wrote in its 2024 annual report, identifying China as Canada’s top counterintelligence threat.

Focus on critical technologies

According 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 “hostile actors,” 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 “the most active perpetrator” of such campaigns and said Beijing poses “the most sophisticated and active cyber threat to Canada.”

CSIS has made clear it “does not hesitate” to issue such advisories to defend Canada’s national interests. Still, experts say that transparency will be critical in ensuring both security and trust as international tensions deepen.