China is the world's dominant supplier of EV battery materials. TRUDEAU AND XIĬanada is seeking to scale up its own production and processing of critical minerals so it can produce electric vehicle batteries and battery materials domestically. Police said Hydro-Quebec was cooperating fully in the investigation. 'We must therefore constantly remain vigilant and transparent,' he said in a statement.

He reportedly published scientific articles and submitted patents in association with this foreign actor, rather than with Hydro-Quebec,' an RCMP spokesman said.ĭominic Roy, senior director for corporate security at Hydro-Quebec, said no organisation was immune to such incidents. 'Wang allegedly used this position to conduct research for a Chinese University and other Chinese research centers. 'Damage was limited by our internal detection mechanisms,' said Hydro-Quebec spokeswoman Caroline Des Rosiers, who declined to detail what information he had allegedly tried to steal.Ī lawyer for Wang could not immediately be located for comment. He started working there in 2016 and was fired this month, the company said. Wang worked for a Hydro-Quebec research unit devoted to developing battery materials that has teamed up with industry players including the U.S. An RCMP special national security unit began investigating in August, police said. Wang, who is from Candiac in the province of Quebec, allegedly committed the crimes at the electricity utility from February 2018 to October 2022. Wang allegedly obtained trade secrets to benefit the People's Republic of China (PRC), to the detriment of Canada's economic interests,' the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.

He is to face four charges including obtaining trade secrets, unauthorized computer use, fraud for obtaining trade secrets, and breach of trust by public officer, it said. Yuesheng Wang, 35, who worked at the state-owned firm as a researcher in battery materials, will appear on Tuesday in court in Longueuil, Quebec, police said in a statement. Earlier this month, Canada ordered three Chinese companies to divest their investments in Canadian critical minerals, citing national security. OTTAWA, Nov 14 (Reuters) - An employee at Canada's largest electricity producer Hydro-Quebec who was involved in researching battery materials has been charged with espionage for allegedly trying to steal trade secrets to benefit China, Canadian police said on Monday.Ĭhinese-Canadian relations have been choppy in recent years, with both sides accusing each other of industrial espionage.

Government battery spy