Canadian researchers are calling for a more coordinated response by G7 countries to counter “systemic” Chinese foreign interference, especially as technology and tactics evolve and Beijing’s agents become more embedded in societies.
Wednesday’s report from the Montreal Institute for Global Security This comes a day before Canada welcomes the Chinese Foreign Minister to Ottawa for the first time in a decade.
Speaking alongside the report’s authors on Parliament Hill, former MP John MacKay urged Foreign Secretary Anita Anand to raise the issue of foreign interference with her counterpart Wang Yi during his visit.
“Since this is an opportunity to reset our relations between Canada and China, I hope that the two ministers will seize the opportunity to enact a reset of relations so that this level of interference stops,” he said.
MacKay also called on journalists to press Anand and Wang on any commitments by the Chinese government to stop foreign interference in Canada.
When he last visited Canada in late May 2016, Wang unleashed on a Canadian reporter who asked about human rights in China at a joint news conference with then-Foreign Minister Stephane Dion.
Global News asked Anand’s office and Global Affairs Canada whether foreign intervention would be discussed.
The ministers are expected to discuss the recently updated Canada-China strategic partnership, as well as trade, investment and global security, according to a statement issued by Anand’s office last week.
Carney, who traveled to Beijing in January to promote the new agreement, told reporters on Wednesday that he looked forward to visiting Wang and would meet him in person.
Get daily national news
Get Canada Daily News delivered to your inbox so you don’t miss the day’s top stories.
He said the visit would provide a “valuable exchange of views.”
Kyle Matthews, executive director of the Montreal Institute of Global Affairs, said he and other experts support Canada pursuing trade with China and other countries like India accused of foreign interference, but “we can’t be naive.”
“We are dealing with countries that have killed Canadian citizens, harassed Canadian citizens, and countries that have stolen some of our most important intellectual property,” Matthews said.
“We have economic interests to expand. However, we cannot be blind.”
Dan Stanton, a former Canadian Security Intelligence Service official who is now director of the National Security Program at the University of Ottawa, said the federal government needs to be transparent with Canadians — especially diaspora communities — so that it remains aware of the risk of foreign interference.
“Canadians need to understand that the government has not forgotten, we hope, and that the government will continue to hold countries accountable for what they do,” he said.
The report focuses on covert influence campaigns
The report draws on open source research and interviews to provide case studies of Chinese intervention in each of the G7 countries: Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, and Japan.
Particular attention is paid to China’s United Front Department, which the report says coordinates a broad ecosystem of political, business, academic, media and civil society groups in democratic countries.
While these groups operate legally and often seek legitimate relationships, the report’s authors say they seek long-term narrative impact that advances China’s interests abroad.
“It’s a bit like the ancient Chinese game wei chi,” said Marie Lamenche, director of global affairs at the Montreal Institute for Global Security. “It takes a long time, it’s adaptable, and the government basically takes its time.”
The report included examples in European countries of targeting politicians with secret influence campaigns from the national to the local levels.
In one case study in Italy, the report describes a sister city agreement between the small Italian municipality of Asti and Nanyang, a Chinese city with a population of over 1 million, which followed increased trade and commerce exchanges between officials and trips by Asti authorities to China.
The report describes the relationship as “surprising” given Asti’s economy is based on wine and tourism, while Nanyang focuses on advanced industries such as artificial intelligence. The agreement has since led to plans for a leading Chinese surveillance company to explore future projects in Asti, according to the report.
G7 universities are also vulnerable to partnerships with Chinese academics and schools, which, although legal and legitimate, are pursued for ulterior motives, Lamenche said. She pointed out that Britain is particularly at risk, because it has become more dependent on foreign students since Britain left the European Union.
The report also covers cases of transnational repression, including intimidation of Chinese expatriates through so-called “police stations” set up in Canadian cities and other tactics.
The authors say that intelligence sharing, records of foreign influence, and coordinated national strategies for managing foreign partnerships across society are essential to countering Chinese influence activities.
Matthews said the report acknowledges that “this is a turbulent time for the G7” given the “fracture” caused by the United States under President Donald Trump, as well as the broader geopolitical climate.
However, he added: “We must still stay the course with some of our key economic and democratic allies to work to protect our democracies from Chinese foreign interference and influence.”
“It’s a big problem.”
– With files from The Canadian Press
&Copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
