China takes aim at Canada’s move to block Chinese, Russian, Iranian research links
- Chinese foreign ministry says policy is short-sighted and unwise, and that it politicises and weaponises technological cooperation
- Ottawa will not fund tech research with ties to institutions linked to military, defence or security entities deemed to pose national security risks
“The relevant policy from Canada is short-sighted, unwise and harms another without benefiting itself,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday.
Ottawa announced on Tuesday that from spring, no government funding would go to sensitive technological research if any researcher involved was affiliated with, funded by or supported in kind by an institution linked to a military, national defence or state security entity deemed to pose national security risks to Canada.
A list of 103 such institutions were identified, 85 of which are Chinese. Most are academies and universities run by the Chinese military, paramilitary, coastguard, police and the state security ministry, which oversees intelligence. Others include aerospace research and engineering institutions.