Winnipeg man was member of Chinese military cyber attacks on Canada

恋恋风尘

By Stewart Bell Global News March 25, 2024

WATCH: An alleged member of China’s cyber warfare department has been living in Winnipeg. As Jeff Semple reports, his case raises questions about Canada’s ability to screen those who have served hostile foreign governments. – Mar 25, 2024

A military veteran who spent 20 years in uniform, Lieutenant Colonel Huajie Xu now lives on a quiet street in Winnipeg.

But he did not serve in Canada’s armed forces.

Instead, he was a member of China’s People’s Liberation Army, according to records obtained by Global News.

Before arriving in Canada in 2021, Xu worked at the military academy of the Chinese cyber warfare department that hacks Canadians and steals their secrets.

Chinese state-sponsored cyber attacks have targeted Canadian companies, activists and government agencies.

But three years ago, Xu obtained permanent residence in Canada and moved into a newly built suburban home in the Manitoba capital.

Questioned by immigration officers when he landed at Vancouver airport, the 43-year-old said he and his wife left China because “the air quality was getting bad.”

“Through the internet, we found out that the air quality is better in Canada.”

Former PLA member Huajie Xu answers door of a Winnipeg house fitted with CCTV cameras. Global News


He denied involvement in, or knowledge of, China’s cyber warfare and espionage programs, and insisted he was only a PLA instructor.

But the army school in Henan where he taught is the training centre for the PLA hacking units that target Canada and the United States.

It is also on the Canadian government’s list of “research organizations and institutions that pose the highest risk to Canada’s national security.”

In addition, it has been rated a “very high risk due to its record of training signals intelligence and political warfare officers and carrying out offensive cyber operations.”

Xu’s wife worked at the same PLA facility, as a language instructor, he told immigration officials. In their marriage certificate photos, records show they both wore their PLA uniforms.

Members of hostile governments moving to Canada

The case is one of a growing number that raise questions about how effectively Ottawa is screening those who have served foreign governments hostile to Canada.

The government has named China, Iran and Russia as the top adversaries targeting Canadians through cyber attacks and foreign interference.

At the same time, the immigration department has issued visas and permanent residence to foreign nationals who worked for those regimes.

Senior members of the Iranian government have been turning up in Canada, prompting immigration officials to launch close to 90 investigations.

So far, just two deportation orders have been issued against the Iranian officials, most recently Seyed Salman Samani, the former deputy interior minister.


People’s Liberation Army identity card of Lt. Col. Huajie Xu, now living in Winnipeg. Federal Court


The government has also struggled to keep out those tied to China’s PLA, which has so many veterans in Canada that in 2018 they formed a non-profit society, although it has since disbanded.

Last month, the government tabled documents on another Winnipeg couple with ties to the PLA, who were fired from Canada’s infectious disease laboratory over their extensive ties to Beijing.

“It has been very disappointing for me,” said Mehmet Tohti, executive director of the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, an advocacy group for China’s Uyghur minority.

China has been mounting increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks against activists, who have been targeted with phishing emails, malware and spyware, Tohti said.

Knowing that members of the same government targeting them are living in Canada has left activists in fear, he said.

“This is a national security issue.”

Cyber attacks against Canada

Xu’s case is notable because he spent most of his military career at the PLA Information Engineering University, PLAIEU.

“The PLAIEU is China’s only military academy for cyber and electronic warfare and is reputed to be a centre for information warfare research for the Chinese military,” a Canadian federal court judge wrote last month.

Until 2016, the school operated under China’s cyber espionage branch, known as the Third Department, or 3/PLA.

Following a reorganization, it was absorbed by the Network Systems Department of the Strategic Support Force, which the judge wrote “has also been recognized as engaging in espionage against Canada and contrary to Canada’s interests.”

The PLAIEU could not be reached for comment, but the Australian Strategic Policy Institute wrote that the university is known for its research and training on hacking.

“PLA experts have described IEU as ‘the sole military academy for the cyber and electronic warfare arms of China’s network-electronic forces,'” it said.

One professor, Zhang Changhe, allegedly hacked foreign governments, oil companies and a nuclear safety agency, according to the institute.

The PLA Information Engineering University in Henan is China’s sole military academy for the cyber warfare.
The PLA Information Engineering University in Henan is China’s sole military academy for the cyber warfare.

“Yes I was an instructor at the university but I did not do anything beyond teaching,” Xu told the Canada Border Services Agency in an interview.

But the CBSA has argued that his role supported the work of 3/PLA, which “is responsible for numerous instances of espionage against Canada.”

“By working as a lecturer at that university, Mr. Xu provided material support to the ongoing activities of the Third Department by contributing to the training and recruitment of soldiers that would go on to work in the Third Department,” the CBSA argued.

According to Brent Arnold, a cyber security expert and partner at the law firm Gowling WLG, Beijing is the primary state cyber-menace that Canada faces.

“China is the most strategic, most coordinated and most resourced,” he said. “They are best positioned to be the real threat.”

Sun Kailing, a PLA officer wanted by the FBI for hacking six U.S. companies.
Sun Kailing, a PLA officer wanted by the FBI for hacking six U.S. companies. FBI

The PLA’s Strategic Support Force is responsible for cyber warfare, including cyberattacks and electronic warfare, he said.

“Overall, China’s cyber forces are a combination of military units, government agencies, and affiliated groups, all contributing to the country’s cyber warfare and cyber defence capabilities.”

The federal government’s 2023-24 National Cyber Threat Assessment said the cyber programs of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea posed “the greatest strategic cyber threats to Canada.”

“PLA attach great importance to information-based warfare,” Xu told the CBSA in an interview.

“When it comes to information warfare, it has two aspects. One is to protect yourself. The other is to destroy your enemy.”

Trained by Russia

The most recent mailing address Xu provided in his immigration file was a house in a southeast Winnipeg suburb called Sage Creek.

A man resembling Xu answered the doorbell last week but did not comment. A woman then came to the door. “Sorry, we don’t answer questions,” she said.

Property records show the home is owned by Ying Ruan. In immigration records, she is listed as Xu’s wife.

Winnipeg neighborhood where for 2 former PLA members live in home with CCTV cameras.
Winnipeg neighborhood where for 2 former PLA members live in home with CCTV cameras. Global News


During interviews with the CBSA, Xu said Ruan had also worked at the PLAIEU as a civilian English instructor and did “very brief military training.”

Neighbours said she was an optician and moved into the home with her daughter several years ago, while Xu had joined them more recently.

Ruan came to Canada as a student, obtained a work visa and then immigrated through the Provincial Nomination Program, records show.

“Why did you two choose to wear military uniform in your marriage certificate?” a CBSA officer asked Xu.

“You can choose to wear whatever you want and it was a significant occasion and both of us are in the military university. So why not?”

Hundreds of pages of records filed in court indicate that Xu joined the PLA in 1998 and became a member of the Chinese Communist Party in 2001.

He earned a degree in Infantry Command from Jinan Army College, and a Masters in Military Education Training from the PLAIEU.

Between 2011 and 2013, Xu was trained by the Russian military in Moscow. Upon returning to China, he became an instructor at the PLAIEU until retiring in 2018.

In 2021, he applied to immigrate to Canada. Despite acknowledging his military career in his application form, he was accepted as a permanent resident.

The Chinese passport of Huajie Xu, former PLA member now living in Winnipeg.
The Chinese passport of Huajie Xu, former PLA member now living in Winnipeg. Federal Court

Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees Canada declined to answer when asked by Global News why it had approved Xu as an immigrant.

Upon arriving at Vancouver airport, Xu was detained by the Canada Border Services Agency due to his background in the Chinese military, but eventually released.

The case proceeded to the Immigration and Refugee Board for hearings to determine whether he was inadmissible to Canada for his alleged membership in a PLA espionage unit.

At the hearings, the CBSA argued that Xu had worked for the PLAIEU, which the agency called “a military institution run by the espionage departments of the PLA.”

The espionage units the CBSA was referring to were 3/PLA and its successor, the Network Systems Department (NSD) of the Strategic Support Force (SSF).

The officials singled out the 2017 hack of the U.S. firm Equifax as an example of “an act of espionage against Canada” by the SSF.

In one of the largest data thefts on record, the PLA SSF stole credit card numbers, social security card numbers and trade secrets. Almost 20,000 Canadians were impacted.

The officials also pointed out that the SSF had hacked the systems of the Immigration and Refugee Board, the very body hearing Xu’s case.

People’s Liberation Army troops commemorate 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China, Oct. 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
People’s Liberation Army troops commemorate 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China, Oct. 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein).

The lawyers defending Xu said their client was not a member of the PLA cyber warfare branch, either when it was called the Third Department or later when it became the SSF.

“There’s no evidence that Mr. Xu contributed in a significant way to the Third Department,” Lorne Waldman argued at a hearing, according to a transcript.

“There’s no evidence that Mr. Xu supported the objectives of the Third Department in any way. There’s no evidence connecting Mr. Xu to the Third Department, other than the fact that he taught at a university that at a certain point became under the administrative control of the Third Department or the NSD,” he said.

“Mr. Xu came to Canada after his permanent residence application was approved, and he was detained at the port of entry upon arrival. Instead of being granted permanent resident status after having been here and issued a visa, he’s been detained, interrogated, and accused of being a spy.”

The Immigration and Refugee Board sided with Xu, ruling he was not a member of Chinese cyber espionage department.

But the Federal Court tossed out the board’s decision in a February ruling, calling it “unintelligible” and “unreasonable.”

The court has ordered a new hearing to decide whether Xu should be deported. The IRB said the matter was being heard behind closed doors. The CBSA has indicated it may also launch proceedings against his wife.

The CBSA would not comment on the case.

Test

观看：据称一名中国网络战部门成员一直居住在温尼伯。正如杰夫·森普尔报道的那样，他的案件引发了人们对加拿大审查曾为敌对外国政府效力人员能力的质疑。——2024年3月25日

曾服役 20 年的退伍军人许化界(Huajie Xu)中校现在居住在温尼伯一条安静的街道上。

但他没有在加拿大军队服役。

据环球新闻获得的记录显示，他实际上是中国人民解放军的一员。

徐在 2021 年抵达加拿大之前，曾在中国网络战部门的军事学院工作，该部门专门入侵加拿大人并窃取他们的秘密。

中国官方支持的网络攻击已将目标对准加拿大公司、活动人士和政府机构。

但三年前，许获得了加拿大永久居留权，并搬进了曼尼托巴省首府新建的郊区住宅。

这位 43 岁的男子抵达温哥华机场后，在接受移民官员询问时表示，他和妻子离开中国是因为“空气质量越来越差”。

“我们通过网络了解到，加拿大的空气质量更好。”

前解放军成员许化界应门，打开了温尼伯一户装有监控摄像头的房屋的门。 环球新闻

他否认参与或知晓中国的网络战和间谍计划，并坚称自己只是解放军的一名教官。

但他任教的河南军校是解放军黑客部队的训练中心，这些黑客部队的目标是加拿大和美国。

它还被列入加拿大政府的“对加拿大国家安全构成最高风险的研究机构和组织”名单。

此外，由于其曾训练信号情报和政治战官员并开展进攻性网络行动，因此被评为“风险极高”。

许先生告诉移民官员，他的妻子在同一解放军单位担任语言教员。他们的结婚证照片显示，两人都穿着解放军制服。

敌对政府成员移居加拿大

这起案件只是众多引发人们质疑渥太华在审查曾为对加拿大怀有敌意的外国政府服务的人员方面是否有效的案例之一。

政府已将中国、伊朗和俄罗斯列为通过网络攻击和外国干预针对加拿大人的主要对手。

与此同时，移民部门向为这些政权工作的外国公民发放了签证和永久居留权。

伊朗政府高级官员陆续出现在加拿大，促使移民官员展开了近 90 项调查。

到目前为止，只对两名伊朗官员发出了驱逐令，最近一次是针对前内政部副部长赛义德·萨勒曼·萨马尼。

现居温尼伯的许化界中校的解放军身份证。 联邦法院

政府也一直努力阻止与中国人民解放军有关联的人入境。解放军在加拿大有很多退伍军人，以至于他们在 2018 年成立了一个非营利协会，尽管该协会后来解散了。

上个月，政府提交了另一份关于温尼伯夫妇的文件，这对夫妇与中国人民解放军有联系，因与北京的广泛联系而被加拿大传染病实验室解雇。

“这让我非常失望，”维吾尔人权倡导项目执行主任穆罕默德·托赫提说道，该项目是中国维吾尔少数民族的倡导组织。

托赫蒂表示，中国对活动人士发起了越来越复杂的网络攻击，他们成为钓鱼邮件、恶意软件和间谍软件的攻击目标。

他说，得知针对他们的同一政府成员居住在加拿大，令活动人士感到恐惧。

“这是一个国家安全问题。”

针对加拿大的网络攻击

许的案例很特别，因为他的大部分军旅生涯都是在解放军信息工程大学（PLAIEU）度过的。

“中国人民解放军网络与电子战学院是中国唯一的网络与电子战军事院校，被誉为中国军队信息战研究中心，”一位加拿大联邦法院法官上个月写道。

直到 2016 年，这所学校一直隶属于中国网络间谍机构，即解放军第三部门（3/PLA）。

经过重组，它被战略支援部队的网络系统部门吸收，法官写道，该部门“也被认定从事针对加拿大的间谍活动，有损加拿大的利益”。

记者未能联系到PLAIEU置评，但澳大利亚战略政策研究所撰文称，该大学以其在黑客领域的研究和培训而闻名。

报道称，“解放军专家将IEU描述为‘中国网络电子力量网络和电子战部队唯一的军事院校’”。

据该研究所称，一名教授张长河涉嫌入侵外国政府、石油公司和核安全机构的系统。

位于河南的解放军信息工程大学是中国唯一的网络战军事院校。

“是的，我曾在大学担任讲师，但我除了教书之外什么也没做，”许在接受加拿大边境服务局采访时表示。

但加拿大边境服务局辩称，他的角色支持了第3/PLA部队的工作，该部队“应对多起针对加拿大的间谍活动负责”。

加拿大边境服务局辩称：“许先生在该大学担任讲师，为第三部门的持续活动提供了物质支持，为第三部门训练和招募士兵做出了贡献，这些士兵后来都在第三部门工作。”

据网络安全专家、高林律师事务所合伙人布伦特·阿诺德称，北京是加拿大面临的主要国家网络威胁。

他说：“中国是最具战略眼光、协调性最强、资源最丰富的国家。他们最有可能构成真正的威胁。”

孙开亮（SUN KAILIANG），一名解放军军官，因涉嫌入侵六家美国公司而被 美国联邦调查局通缉 。

他说，解放军战略支援部队负责网络战，包括网络攻击和电子战。

“总体而言，中国的网络力量是由军事单位、政府机构和附属团体组成的，它们共同为国家的网络战和网络防御能力做出贡献。”

联邦政府2023-24 年国家网络威胁评估报告称，中国、俄罗斯、伊朗和朝鲜的网络计划对加拿大构成了“最大的战略网络威胁”。

“解放军高度重视信息战，”许在接受加拿大边境服务局采访时表示。

“信息战包含两个方面。一是保护自己，二是摧毁敌人。”

由俄罗斯训练

许先生在移民文件中提供的最新邮寄地址是温尼伯东南郊区圣溪的一栋房子。

上周，一名长相酷似许某的男子应门，但未作任何评论。随后一名女子前来开门，说道：“抱歉，我们不回答问题。”

房产记录显示该房屋的所有者是阮颖。移民记录显示，她是许某的妻子。

温尼伯某社区两名前解放军成员居住在装有闭路电视摄像头的房屋内。 环球新闻

在接受加拿大边境服务局 (CBSA) 的采访时，许表示阮也曾在PLAIEU担任平民英语教员，并接受过“非常简短的军事训练”。

邻居们说，她是一名验光师，几年前和女儿一起搬进了这所房子，而许是最近才搬进来的。

记录显示，阮某以学生身份来到加拿大，获得工作签证后，通过省提名计划移民。

“你们俩为什么选择在结婚证上穿军装？”加拿大边境服务局官员问许夫人。

“你想穿什么都可以，而且这是一个重要的场合，我们俩都在军校就读。所以为什么不呢？”

提交给法院的数百页记录显示，许某于 1998 年加入中国人民解放军，并于 2001 年成为中国共产党党员。

他获得了济南陆军学院步兵指挥专业的学位，以及PLAIEU军事教育训练专业的硕士学位。

2011年至2013年，许在莫斯科接受俄罗斯军方训练。回国后，他成为波兰陆军工程兵部队的教官，直至2018年退休。

2021年，他申请移民加拿大。尽管他在申请表中承认了自己的军旅生涯，但他还是被接纳为永久居民。

前解放军成员许化界的中国护照，他现居住在温尼伯。 联邦法院

加拿大移民、公民及难民部在接受环球新闻采访时，拒绝回答为何批准许某移民。

许某抵达温哥华机场后，因其中国军方背景而被加拿大边境服务局拘留，但最终获释。

该案件随后提交移民和难民委员会进行听证，以确定他是否因涉嫌加入解放军间谍部队而不得入境加拿大。

在听证会上，加拿大边境服务局辩称许某曾为解放军对外情报局工作，该机构称解放军对外情报局是“由解放军间谍部门运营的军事机构”。

加拿大边境服务局所指的间谍单位是解放军第3营及其后继单位——战略支援部队（SSF）网络系统部（NSD）。

官员们特别指出，2017 年美国公司Equifax遭到黑客攻击，这是加拿大安全情报局 (SSF) 对加拿大实施“间谍活动”的一个例子。

解放军特种部队（PLA SSF）窃取了信用卡号、社保卡号和商业机密，这是有史以来规模最大的数据盗窃案之一。近2万名加拿大人受到影响。

官员们还指出，国家安全部队入侵了移民和难民委员会的系统，而该委员会正是审理许某案件的机构。

2019年10月1日，中国人民解放军官兵纪念中华人民共和国成立70周年。（美联社照片/马克·谢费尔贝因）

许的辩护律师表示，他们的当事人并非解放军网络战部门的成员，无论是在第三部门时期还是后来的特种部队时期。

根据听证会记录，洛恩·沃尔德曼在听证会上辩称：“没有证据表明许先生对第三部门做出了重大贡献。”

“没有任何证据表明许先生以任何方式支持第三部门的目标。除了他曾在某所大学任教，而该大学在某个时期被置于第三部门或国家安全局的行政控制之下之外，没有任何证据表明许先生与第三部门有任何关联，”他说。

“许先生在永久居民申请获批后来到加拿大，抵达入境口岸时被拘留。他本应在入境后获得永久居民身份并拿到签证，却反而被拘留、审讯，并被指控为间谍。”

移民和难民委员会支持许的说法，裁定他不是中国网络间谍部门的成员。

但联邦法院在 2 月份的一项裁决中驳回了委员会的决定， 称其“令人费解”且“不合理”。

法院已下令重新举行听证会，以决定是否将许某驱逐出境。移民和难民委员会（IRB）表示，此案正在闭门审理。加拿大边境服务局（CBSA）已表示，也可能对其妻子提起诉讼。

加拿大边境服务局拒绝就此案发表评论。