A report from the Falun Dafa Association details covert action by the Chinese Communist government directed against the spiritual group's adherents in Canada.
CCP’s Enhanced, Covert Interference in Canada: A Deeper Look | Epoch Times | Andrew Chen:
November 6, 2023 -[A] new report details how the communist regime influences politicians and stifles persecuted groups. Notably, it highlights ongoing efforts to suppress support for Falun Gong adherents and their quest to end the persecution of their spiritual practice, which began in 1999. The 130-page report, released by the Falun Dafa Association of Canada (FDAC) on Oct. 25, details Chinese Communist Party (CCP) strategies for foreign interference, focusing on adherents of Falun Dafa, also called Falun Gong, in Canada.
"The tactics are primarily attributed to the Chinese diplomatic missions. They include coercing politicians, spreading disinformation, impersonating Falun Gong adherents to discredit the group, spying on adherents, and seeking their exclusion from community events. They also include cyber attacks as well as harassment, intimidation, and physical assaults against adherents.... The FDAC reports that, in an attempt to evade scrutiny, Chinese missions increasingly use agents and proxies to infiltrate political offices in the host countries, influence politicians, and disseminate fake emails, posing as Falun Gong practitioners.
"Chinese diplomats exert significant efforts to shape Canadian politicians’ perspectives on Falun Gong, often resorting to threats that non-compliance with the regime could jeopardize Canada-China trade relations, the FDAC report said. For example, in 2003, China's charge d'affaires in Canada Chu Guangyou reportedly wrote to Liberal MP Jim Peterson allegedly conveying the sensitivity of the Falun Gong issue and its potential effect on Canada-China relations..... A package containing anti-Falun Gong materials was reportedly enclosed with Mr. Chu's letter. The FDAC has documented numerous incidents of similar materials being distributed to other Canadian politicians....
"Falun Gong is a spiritual practice rooted in Buddhist traditions ... [which] rapidly gained widespread popularity in China after being introduced to the public in 1992. Official Chinese government data estimated that between 70 million and 100 million Chinese citizens were practising Falun Gong by the late 1990s. However, Jiang Zermin, the Chinese leader at the time, perceived the practice's popularity as a threat to the regime's totalitarian control. In July 1999, he initiated a nationwide mass arrest and persecution campaign with the aim of eradicating the practice. As part of this campaign, the CCP established extrajudicial security entities, notably the 610 Office, with a specific mandate to eradicate Falun Gong.
"Under the 610 Office, a Special Anti-Falun Gong Working Group was also formed with the specific mission of suppressing Falun Gong adherents outside China.... Chen Yonglin, a prominent defector who had held a senior position in the Chinese Consulate in Sydney, Australia, before he defected in 2005, testified to the existence of this working group.... In his 2008 affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Mr. Chen revealed that this working group is embedded within every Chinese consulate and embassy around the world where there are Falun Gong adherents.... A similar CCP unit operating in Canada came to light in April 2007. Zhang Jiyan, a defector and the wife of a diplomat from the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa, disclosed the existence of a 10-person squad tasked with 'fighting Falun Gong' in Canada. The FDAC report said that this squad was under the leadership of a Chinese political affairs minister-counsellor.
"The FDAC has voiced 'serious concern' regarding several Canadian politicians who it says have aligned themselves with the Chinese regime's efforts to marginalize the Falun Gong community in Canada. The report references multiple media articles that highlight Michael Chan, a former Ontario MPP currently serving as the deputy mayor of Markham, Ontario ... [who] has ... reportedly met with suspected Chinese intelligence operatives in activities related to Canada's 2019 and 2021 federal election campaigns.... Another politician mentioned in the FDAC report is Ontario MPP Vincent Ke ... [who] resigned from Ontario's governing Progressive Conservative caucus after a Global News report alleged that he was part of China's election interference network in Canada. Mr. Ke has denied the allegations and has launched a libel lawsuit against Global News.
"A more recent tactic adopted by the CCP to discredit Falun Gong involves impersonating adherents of the practice to send bizarre and sometimes threatening or derogatory emails and letters to Canadian politicians and businesses.... Politicians who have received 'bogus emails' from individuals impersonating Falun Gong practitioners, as cited in the FDAC report, include Liberal MP Judy Sgro, who co-chairs the parliamentary friendship group Canadian Parliamentary Friends of Falun Gong; NDP MP Peter Julian; Conservative MP Scott Reid; and former Alberta premier Jason Kenney. Chrystia Freeland, finance minister and deputy prime minister, is also reported to have received a similar email in 2017 during her tenure as foreign affairs minister.
"The FDAC notes that the systematic and persistent email impersonation and vilification campaign is not limited to Canada. It describes the campaign as a 'global phenomenon.' Its report says that identical or similar emails have been sent to politicians in various other countries, including the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. According to the FDAC, this pattern underscores the pervasiveness of the communist regime's interference in countries worldwide."
Read report: https://library.faluninfo.net/canada-2023-report-foreign-interference-transnational-repression-of-falun-gong/
Falun Dafa reports cases of foreign meddling from China | CPAC | October 25, 2023:
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