Eye on China as Canada clamps down on funding sensitive research
- Canada targets institutions with ties to foreign governments that could pose a risk to its national security
- Follows report that dozens of Canadian universities had research collaborations with scientists linked to China’s military
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government will stop funding projects affiliated with universities, institutes or labs connected to foreign military, national defence or state security entities.
Tuesday’s announcement seeks to close the loop on so-called sensitive research areas that pose risks to national security, according to a government statement.
The Globe and Mail reported last month that 50 Canadian universities had extensive research collaborations with scientists linked to the Chinese military since 2005.
The projects with China’s National University of Defence Technology included areas such as quantum cryptography, photonics and space science, the newspaper said.
“This new action is one of many significant steps the government of Canada is taking to protect our country, our institutions and our intellectual property,” the government said, adding that guidelines were introduced for due diligence and risks to research security.
In November, Canadian police arrested a former researcher for the Hydro-Quebec electricity company on charges of spying for China, a first in Canada.
Relations between China and Canada have deteriorated sharply in recent years, particularly after the arrest by Canada at Washington’s request of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in 2018.
In response, China held two Canadians in prison for nearly three years and released them after Meng reached a deal with US authorities that allowed her to return to China.
Like many of its allies including the US, Canada has been taking a tougher stance against China in recent months.
Late last year, the country announced rules that made it harder for foreign state-owned enterprises to pursue takeovers or invest in the mining industry, targeting many Chinese firms.
02:37
Beijing insists ‘balloon does not belong to America’ as US recovers wreckage from sea
Tuesday’s announcement came three days after an unidentified object was shot down by a US plane in Canada’s far north, acting on authorisation from Trudeau.
That’s the fourth airborne object shot down in North American airspace over the past week, starting with a large balloon that US officials have said was a surveillance craft sent by China.
The Biden administration suspects the other unidentified objects served commercial purposes and weren’t used for spying.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
