Yuesheng Wang, 35, a researcher who allegedly did illegal work for Chinese institutions while working for Hydro-Québec, appeared in court Tuesday morning. Wang appeared via video conference in Longueuil court for a hearing to set a future appearance date. He asked for an interpreter in Mandarin, although he said he spoke English. The parole process will take longer than usual in this case because of the nature of the charges, Wang’s lawyer, Gary Martin, told reporters outside the courtroom. “There will be more disclosures to come. These are the first steps in the process,” Martin said. “He has his version of things that will be established… We can’t speculate.” Martin referred to the allegations against Wang as “unprecedented.” Wang is charged with fraud, unauthorized use of a computer, breach of trust by a public servant and obtaining trade secrets, a charge under the Security of Information Act (SIA) — the first time the charge has been laid in Canada. Marc Cigana, the Crown prosecutor assigned to the case, said he believed there was evidence that Wang was a flight risk and that there was a “serious” possibility that, if released on bail, he would leave the country. But Cigana did not call Wang an accused Chinese spy. “Mr. Wang is accused of financial espionage, but I will not name him,” the prosecutor said. “He is a man who is presumed innocent, facing these charges.” Wang, who has limited English and no French, shook his head as the charges were translated into Mandarin for him in court on Tuesday. He tried to have his parole hearing held immediately, but was advised by his lawyer to delay it. Quebec District Court Judge Anne-Marie Beauchemin ordered Wang to be remanded in custody. The case was adjourned until Friday when more evidence will be released and the parties will discuss scheduling a bail hearing. Neither lawyer could say after Tuesday’s hearing whether Wang has Canadian citizenship. WATCHES | Why the RCMP arrested Yuesheng Wang:
RCMP explain espionage charges against Hydro-Québec employee
Insp. David Beaudoin, from the RCMP’s National Security Integrated Enforcement Team, gives an update on the charges against Yuesheng Wang. On Monday, RCMP Insp. David Beaudoin, who heads the Integrated National Security Enforcement team, said the charges against Wang stemmed from the publication of academic papers and patents related to Chinese universities and institutions. Wang’s activities benefited the People’s Republic of China at the expense of Canada’s economic interests, Beaudoin said. Wang’s profile on LinkedIn, the social networking site, lists him as an employee of Hydro-Québec since 2016. He has a master’s degree in materials engineering from the institute of physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His signature has appeared in academic papers published in collaboration with researchers at Chinese institutions as recently as March 2022, while he was working at Hydro-Québec’s Center of Excellence in Electricity and Transportation Energy Storage (CETEES). Wang’s research focused on batteries. Pierre Fitzgibbon, Quebec’s finance minister, said energy security is a government priority. “We realize how vulnerable we are,” Fitzgibbon told reporters on Tuesday. When he heard that the charges against Wang, which have yet to be tested in court, related to battery technology, Fitzgibbon said his thoughts turned to other sensitive information that might be of interest to foreign powers, including hydroelectric dams. “It’s worrying, but at the same time it shows that we have interesting things to offer in Quebec, on the positive side. That’s a small positive to take away.” Hydro-Québec said in a statement Monday that its corporate security branch became suspicious of Wang’s activities and, in August 2022, forwarded its suspicions to the RCMP, which launched an investigation that led to Wang’s arrest the morning of Monday. Hydro-Québec is Quebec’s state-owned energy provider. Tina Zhu, a spokesperson for the Canada-China Friendship Promotion Association, was in court Tuesday to learn more about the case. He said the procedures are likely to discriminate against the Chinese community in Canada, which is already reeling from an increase in racism linked to the pandemic. “We have to fight it. It’s discrimination,” he said. “We are human, we are the same.”
