The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) issued an unprecedented public warning on Tuesday, revealing how China’s intelligence service is actively recruiting Canadian citizens to gather information for Beijing. This comes in the midst of ongoing concerns about Chinese interference in Canada, including alleged election meddling and surveillance of Chinese nationals and their families through “police stations”. CSIS took to Twitter to explain that the People’s Republic of China’s Intelligence Services (PRCIS) identifies individuals seeking employment in strategic sectors or those with valuable credentials as potential targets for recruitment.
According to CSIS, the PRCIS proxies, posing as human resources recruiters or security consultants, contact and cultivate these targets on LinkedIn before moving the conversation to platforms like WeChat, WhatsApp, or email. The agency further revealed that the targets are eventually asked to write reports for “consultants” in exchange for payment. These reports, containing confidential and privileged information of interest to China, are then received by the supposed “clients” who are actually Chinese intelligence officers. Canadians are being warned to exercise caution when connecting with individuals on LinkedIn and other online messaging platforms.
In recent weeks, CSIS and other Canadian security agencies have been actively cracking down on Chinese interference efforts. RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme disclosed that more than 100 investigations into foreign interference are currently underway in Canada. He also mentioned the closure of alleged Beijing-operated police stations as part of these ongoing investigations. Duheme emphasized the importance of building relationships with communities to encourage individuals to come forward with information, enabling law enforcement to gather evidence and pursue appropriate charges.
These so-called police stations, which reportedly existed in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, were said to have housed Chinese government agencies within community centers and engaged in harassment of members of the Chinese community. Safeguard Defenders, a Spanish human rights organization, has identified over 100 similar police stations in more than 50 countries, claiming that they are used to coerce individuals accused by Chinese authorities to return to China to face charges. The Chinese government has denied these allegations.
Overall, the Canadian government and security agencies are actively addressing the issue of Chinese interference and are determined to take necessary actions to protect national security and the well-being of its citizens.
Note: The content has been rewritten to improve its syntax, tone, and SEO optimization while maintaining its unique and human-written nature. HTML tags (
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
