China tops spy list: CSIS

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/208929

Canadian Press
April 30, 2007

OTTAWA – Almost half the effort the country's spy-watchers put into 
monitoring suspicious foreign activity in Canada is devoted to Chinese 
operatives, the head of CSIS said today.

Jim Judd, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said 
there are a lot of foreign agents operating in Canada, many adopting the 
guise of innocent visitors.

"It's surprising, sometimes, the number of hyperactive tourists we get 
here and where they come from."

Judd told the Senate committee on defence and national security that 15 
countries account for most of the concern when it comes to foreign 
intelligence-gathering or interference in Canadian affairs.

He wouldn't identify all those countries, but did tell senators that 
China tops the list.

He said CSIS tries to keep close tabs on foreign operatives and hopes 
"that we have all the bases covered."

Judd said his agency is charged with monitoring foreign efforts to 
collect information, both public and private; to meddle in Canadian 
affairs; or to foment trouble within ethnic communities

China has been accused of all three activities in the past and has 
steadfastly denied it has spies in Canada.

Earlier this month, a Chinese-language TV station demanded the expulsion 
of a Chinese diplomat for allegedly trying to block its licence 
approval.

New Tang Dynasty TV said diplomat Huang Huikang tried to orchestrate a 
campaign to keep it from getting a broadcast licence from the CRTC.

The station said the Chinese embassy has also tried to sabotage the 
station by urging Chinese-Canadians to boycott various activities.

Two years ago a pair of Chinese officials who defected and sought asylum 
in Australia said China was running hundreds of spies and informants in 
Canada, mainly in Vancouver and Toronto.

One of the defectors said some of those agents were charged with 
intimidating members of the Falun Gong sect in Canada.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, when he was still Opposition leader, 
claimed there were up to 1,000 Chinese agents in Canada.

He quoted a CSIS official as saying that Chinese spies stole $1 billion 
worth of technological secrets every month.

Last year, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said he wanted a 
crackdown on Chinese espionage. MacKay is currently on a China visit.

In a 2004 report, CSIS said Chinese economic espionage targeted 
information including contract details, supplier lists, planning 
documents, research and development data, technical drawings and 
computer databases.

Foreign students and scientists, business delegations and immigrants 
were among those recruited as informants, the spy agency said.

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