Diaspora researchers trace political ties reaching from Chinese Communist Party-controlled intelligence networks to the highest levels of British Columbia’s government.

By Sam Cooper | The Bureau

Summary

An intricate web of political and business ties between Canadian officials and Chinese state-linked entities is the focus of a new investigative map by diaspora researchers.

The map (above), titled “From Ottawa to Victoria,” connects United Front-aligned business, political, and media organizations with prominent Canadian leaders, including former BC Premier Christy Clark, ex-minister Teresa Wat, and Premier David Eby’s advisor Ding Guo. It shows that under Clark’s government, British Columbia approved multi-million-dollar partnerships with shadowy Chinese entities through HQ Vancouver.

It also highlights the role of Senator Yuen Pau Woo in facilitating the entry of Chinese state-linked entities into Canadian institutions. Woo, appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2016, has been pivotal in promoting Chinese Canadian candidates and shielding United Front figures from scrutiny.

Teresa Wat is linked to Belt and Road cooperation, Huawei, and PRC-affiliated delegations, while Ding Guo, founder of the Canada Committee 100 Society (CCS100), has played a significant role in Chinese-language media and political mobilization. Guo received a $20,000 provincial grant and the King Charles III Coronation Medal from Premier Eby.

The map also identifies Kenny Zhang, who held dual roles at HQ Vancouver and CCS100, and was involved in promoting Liberal candidate Parm Bains over Conservative MP Kenny Chiu. Researchers caution that no individual is alleged to be knowingly involved in Chinese influence activities and that the aim of their work is to educate voters by drawing attention to verified affiliations with Chinese state or military-linked organizations.

The map is part of an ongoing series by Canadian Friends of Hong Kong and Found in Translation, two diaspora-led civil society groups. It draws from open-source records and includes a secretly recorded 2020 meeting where Woo assured United Front figures he would protect them from critical scrutiny. This effort mirrors the PRC’s foreign messaging, which defends its overseas political networks as benign civic or cultural organizations.

These findings are significant for Canadians in the lead-up to the upcoming federal election in the wake of allegations Prime Minister Mark Carney has allegedly been boosted by disinformation from elite Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence entities.

In his 2022 book, Spies and Lies: How China’s Greatest Covert Operations Fooled the World, author Alex Joske describes how the International Liaison Department (ILD)—an agency under the direct leadership of the Chinese Communist Party in charge of external relations—conducts clandestine activities to shape foreign perceptions and policymaking in favor of the CCP. His research indicates the department plays a pivotal role in carrying out covert influence operations aimed at political, business, and academic elites overseas.

The original version of this report is available at the publisher’s website here.