Again spying charges between China and Canada, Chinese researcher charged with spying

An investigator accused of espionage and arrested in Canada for allegedly trying to steal trade secrets for the benefit of China appeared in court for the first time via a video link on Tuesday, seeking his release on bail. Yuesheng Wang, 35, a battery materials researcher at Canada’s largest power producer Hydro-Quebec, was arrested on Monday and faces a total of four charges, including fraud with obtaining trade secrets and breaching the trust of public officials.

Wang will appear in court again via video link on Friday, when a judge is expected to set a date for his bail hearing. Wang allegedly committed the crimes between January 2018 and October 2022, in an investigation conducted by a special national security agency for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, according to a court filing.

Wang worked with a Hydro-Quebec research unit dedicated to developing battery materials working with industry players, including the US Army Research Laboratory. He was fired this month after working for the provincial firm for nearly six years.

“He has his own version,” his lawyer, Gary Martin, told reporters after the trial.

At the court hearing in the Montreal suburb, Wang said he immediately requested a bail hearing through an interpreter. Prosecution attorney Marc Cigana, who says it’s the first time someone has been charged under Canada’s Information Security Act, plans to challenge the bail request, saying Wang risks absconding.

China-Canada relations have been volatile in recent years, with both sides accusing each other of industrial espionage. This month, Canada ordered three Chinese companies to divest their investments in critical mines in Canada, citing national security.

According to a source, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday voiced serious concerns about China’s “intervention activities” in Canada during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.

source: reuters.com