The head of Canada’s intelligence agency spoke openly about China’s interest in partnering with Canadian universities to gain a military edge during a conference with his Five Eyes counterparts on Tuesday.Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service David Vigneault arrives at a special committee hearing on Canada's relationship with China on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 6, 2023.
Vigneault made the comments on stage during a rare public gathering with spy bosses from the U.S., the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. "We're not telling people who they should hire or not hire. But we tell them ... if you're working for one of those seven universities in the PRC associated with the People's Liberation Army, you know it's probably not a good idea if you're working in cutting-edge technology in the university," said Vigneault.
The head of Canada's spy agency says President Xi Jinping of China is transparent about wanting to use Canadian research. Earlier this year, the Globe and Mail reported that 50 Canadian universities have collaborated for years with a Chinese military research university. The #FBI is hosting the leaders of the Five Eyes intelligence partnership – the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – in a first-ever Emerging Technology and Securing Innovation Security Summit in Palo Alto, the heart of Silicon Valley. https://t.co/03TVPmDtB5 pic.twitter.