Overseas Chinese Affairs Office harms Canada with espionage, court rules
- A Federal Court judge made the ruling as she rejected the case of a former long-time employee of the OCAO, whose Canadian immigration application was rejected
- The OCAO had conducted ‘covert action and intelligence gathering’ against overseas Chinese communities, the ruling found
A Canadian court has ruled that a Chinese government agency responsible for citizens living abroad and liaising with overseas Chinese communities engages in acts of espionage that are “contrary to Canada’s interests”.
The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office – which is part of the Communist Party of China’s United Front Work Department – had conducted “covert action and intelligence gathering against [overseas] Chinese communities and other minorities around the world”, according to the ruling against a former long-time employee of the OCAO who has been trying to immigrate to Canada.
An immigration officer last year denied the application by the man and his wife on the grounds of espionage; the Chinese couple subsequently applied for a judicial review, which has now been denied by Federal Court Justice Vanessa Rochester.
Her ruling in Montreal in favour of the minister of immigration was made on January 19 and first reported by the National Post on Wednesday.
The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and United Front Work Department have long been controversial for their activities overseas allegedly suppressing dissent against Beijing.
