The RCMP has charged a former Canadian Space Agency (CSA) engineer with breach of trust and is continuing to investigate after discovering he had worked for a Chinese aerospace company.
61-year-old Quebec resident Wanping Zheng was charged on Tuesday.
“According to the facts, Mr. Zheng allegedly used his status as a CSA engineer to negotiate agreements for the installation of satellite station facilities in Iceland,” the RCMP said in a statement given to Global News.
“He allegedly acted on behalf of a Chinese aerospace company. The Canadian Space Agency is part of Canada’s critical infrastructure and constitutes a strategic interest to be protected.”
Zheng was released upon his arrest and is expected to appear before a court in Longueuil, Quebec on Dec. 15.
According to the facts, the alleged criminal activity took place between July 1, 2018 and May 30, 2019 in various locations. These included the CSA headquarters in Quebec and facilities in Toronto, Ottawa and elsewhere.
In 2019, the CSA terminated its relationship with Zheng over his private activities.
“The CSA takes the security of information and people very seriously,” a CSA spokesperson said.
“(The CSA) continues to strengthen security measures to protect information, individuals and assets.”
Zheng is the latest in a string of Canadian government employees suspected of having cooperated with China.
The RCMP is also investigating former federal scientists Xiangguo Qiu and Keding Cheng after it was alleged that they passed on highly sensitive information from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.
Despite the Conservative opposition’s efforts, the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused to disclose documents relating to the pair’s arrest in 2020.
Earlier this year, former president of the Public Health Agency of Canada Iain Stewart was censured by the House of Commons over the refusal to disclose the information.
