One of the country’s top computer scientists says he turned down an offer to triple his salary from Chinese state agents as part of a clear objective aimed at hiring Canadian academics.
Professor Benjamin Fung, a data mining and cybersecurity specialist, said he refused the six-figure salary offer to take on consulting work for a Chinese-affiliated company, saying it was an obvious “recruitment strategy.”
Mr. Fung was testifying at the Commons Science and Research Committee on Sept. 20, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
“In 2018, a Chinese company attempted to recruit me as a consultant in their AI team,” said Mr. Fung. “That company offered three times, yes, three times my salary to work for them as a consultant, while I can remain as a professor.”
Mr. Fung occupies a Canada Research Chair position in the School of Information Studies at McGill University, undergoing research in areas that include artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and malware.
“Out of my curiosity I asked him, ‘What do you want me to do?’ Their response was you just need to reply to our emails,” said Mr. Fung. “In China, this recruitment strategy is called feed, trap, and kill. They first use lucrative offers to attract the targets. Once a professor relies on their funding, they will start making unreasonable requests, including transferring intellectual property rights, getting sensitive data, or asking the professor to say something that may not be true,” he continued.
Following his refusal of the Chinese agent’s offer, the company would still contact him every one or two years offering different types of collaboration, he said.
“They also started to approach my graduate students. Fortunately, none of my students have joined the company,” he said.
Conservative MP Cory Tocher asked Mr. Fung what he meant by “feed, trap, and kill.”
“It’s a typical strategy that the Chinese government often use to recruit researchers. So once a professor has the funding, then they will start expanding their team,” said Mr. Fung. He added that once researchers are financially dependent, “they are trapped, … that’s the moment that the company or CCP government may ask him, the professor, to do something that may go against their own will.”
Mr. Tochor asked Mr. Fung to explain what he understood by the word “kill” in his testimony.
“I don’t mean really harming the professor, but basically saying something that is not true, or ruining the reputation of the professor,” replied Mr. Fung. He added that Chinese foreign students were also pressured by Chinese Communist Party agents.
“Not many people understand international students face undue pressure and funding agreements from the Chinese government,” he said. “If students violate the rules, or refuse to follow the instructions, the Chinese government will ask their family to pay back the scholarship.”
Mr. Fung’s comments were echoed in testimony by Cherie Wong, executive director of the Alliance Canada Hong Kong.
“Whether domestic or international students, Tibetans, Uyghurs, Chinese, Taiwanese, and Hong Kongers are experiencing transnational surveillance and fear of reprisal on university campuses,” she told the committee. “International students also expressed the concerns of embassies, consulates, and their home government to revoke study permits or scholarships for unfavourable views, actions, or inactions,” she said.
“Canada must strengthen our academic and research environment, which will require a whole of society collaboration with universities, research institutions, private sector, and student unions.”
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (FINTRAC), a financial intelligence agency, said in a 2022 report it knew of suspicious cash transfers involving Chinese foreign students. “A number of suspected money mules are international students receiving wire transfers from individuals and entities in China and Hong Kong, as well as email money transfers and bank drafts from third parties in Canada,” said the report, titled “Underground Banking Through Unregistered Money Services Businesses.”
“Email money transfers and international wire transfers are the most commonly observed methods for moving funds through money mule accounts,” the report said.
“These individuals may also be straw buyers (a person who makes a purchase on behalf of another person) for vehicles, electronics and other goods used in trade-based money laundering, and nominees used to purchase real estate and pay mortgages.”
