Canada’s New Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern

Remarks of the Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Canada
2024-01-16 22:57

On January 16, the government of Canada released a Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern, together with a list of sensitive technology research areas and a list of named research organizations including Chinese ones. The Canadian side politicized normal scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation under hypothetical pretexts, sabotaged the openness, trust and cooperation in the community of science and technology of China and Canada. The Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposes this, and has made serious démarche to Canada.

China’s efforts and achievements in science, technology and innovation are for all to see. In 2022, China spent more than 3 trillion yuan (about 418.2 billion U.S. dollars) on research and development, ranking 2nd worldwide. According to the Global Innovation Index 2023 released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, China ranks 12th in the world. Recently, China put forward the International Science and Technology Cooperation Initiative. The initiative calls for advocating and practicing the concept of open, fair, just and non-discriminatory international cooperation, exploring solutions to global issues through science, technology and innovation cooperation, jointly promoting peaceful development.

China-Canada exchange and cooperation in the area of science and technology is a two-way traffic and mutually-beneficial. The Canadian side politicizes and weaponizes scientific and technological cooperation issues, which is completely a short-sighted act of pursuing ”small yards with high fences”. We urge the Canadian side to correct its wrong practice, discard the ideological bias and cold war mentality, stop suppressing Chinese academic institutions by abusing tools such as the above mentioned lists, and help create a favorite environment for open and free international cooperation of science and technology. Otherwise, it will only hurt others without benefiting itself.

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Canada
Address:515 St. Patrick Street, Ottawa, ON K1N 5H3
Tel: 613-7893434
Fax: 613-7891911
E-mail: chineseembassy.ca@gmail.com
Media Inquiry: chinaembpress@gmail.com
Consular Section of the Chinese Embassy
Tel: +001-613-4550117
(3:30pm-5:30pm by operator, during the rest of the day by auto-attendant)
Consular Assistance and Protection Tel: +001-613-5621616
(Ottawa Region, Newfoundland & Labrador,
Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Nunavut.)
Fax: 613 -789 1414
Email: consulate.can@gmail.com

Table of Contents

• New Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern
• Definitions
• Steps for Researchers: How to Comply with the New Policy
  • Step 1 : Determine whether your grant / funding will aim to advance any sensitive technology research area
  • Step 2 : Check researchers’ affiliations
• Validating Information: What Happens After Application
• For More Information

New Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern

Canada’s world-class research ecosystem is defined by excellence and its open and collaborative nature. This openness can make it a target for foreign influence that increases the potential for research and development efforts to be misappropriated to the detriment of national security. For example, the illicit transfer of knowledge – especially in transformational research areas such as AI, quantum computing, and genetic engineering that could have dual-use applications for military and surveillance purposes – poses major challenges to Canada and its allies.

The federal government has been active in supporting researchers and institutions to protect Canada’s research, providing advice and tools through the Safeguarding Your Research portal, and implementing national security considerations into the development, evaluation, and funding of research partnerships through the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships.

On February 14, 2023, the federal government announced its intent to further protect Canada’s research, its institutions, and its intellectual property by announcing that Canada would adopt an enhanced posture regarding Canada’s research security. The resulting new Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern was developed in close consultation with implicated federal departments and agencies including Canada’s federal granting councils – the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) – as well as the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and Canada’s research community through the Government of Canada-Universities Working Group.