A man who served as a Chinese spy for fifteen years revealed details of his operations to Radio-Canada, shedding light on a Chinese dissident’s death in British Columbia in 2022. Referred to as “Eric,” he disclosed that his primary role from 2008 to 2023 was working for China’s secret police to suppress political dissent, particularly targeting critics of the Chinese Communist Party.
Eric shared a trove of documents, including financial records, covert money transfers, and spy identities, with journalists from the Australian Broadcasting Corp. and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, in collaboration with CBC/Radio-Canada. These records offered unprecedented insights into China’s clandestine spy activities abroad.
Initially a pro-democracy activist affiliated with the Social Democratic Party of China, Eric claimed he was coerced into espionage after a police encounter. Over his tenure with China’s Ministry of Public Security’s 1st Bureau, specializing in surveilling dissidents overseas, Eric admitted to spying on individuals like a Japanese cartoonist and an exiled YouTuber in Australia, often under the guise of legitimate businesses collaborating with China’s secret police.
While stationed in Cambodia, Eric operated undercover with the Prince Group, a prominent conglomerate. In 2020, he was assigned to monitor Hua Yong, a vocal critic of China’s Communist Party who had relocated to the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia.
Hua, a former Tiananmen Square protester, faced harassment and surveillance from Chinese authorities since his activism against evictions in Beijing. Eric’s directive was to lure Hua to Cambodia or Laos, countries with close ties to China, through various communication channels. To gain Hua’s trust, Eric fabricated a fictional anti-Communist group, the V Brigade, and orchestrated online interactions that culminated in both men meeting in Bangkok.
After losing track of Hua in 2021, Chinese authorities instructed Eric to surveil him from a distance when Hua relocated to Canada. Tragically, Hua died in a kayaking accident off the Sunshine Coast in November 2022, raising suspicions of foul play. Despite the RCMP initially ruling out foul play, individuals like Li Jianfeng, a former Chinese judge turned Canadian refugee, believed Hua’s death might be linked to Chinese covert activities.
Eric, now residing in Australia, expressed concerns about potential Chinese operatives in Canada monitoring dissidents. He emphasized the importance of exposing China’s secret police operations for his own safety and public awareness.
The investigation into Hua’s death remains open, awaiting the B.C. Coroners Service’s report. Eric, though not in contact with Canadian authorities, shared pertinent documents with the Hogue commission to address the case’s unresolved aspects that warrant further scrutiny.
