Former Chinese military lieutenant colonel with ties to cyber warfare department residing in Winnipeg: report

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A man who worked for the benefit of China’s cyber warfare department and spent 20 years in uniform as a member of the Chinese military is currently residing in Winnipeg, reports Global News.

Huajie Xu was able to obtain permanent residency three years ago after arriving at Vancouver’s airport. He reportedly told immigration officers that the reason he was moving to Canada was he discovered “the air quality is better in Canada.”

Despite denying any involvement in direct espionage or cyber warfare efforts conducted by China, Xu admitted to being an instructor at a military academy that the Canadian government describes as posing “the highest risk to Canada’s national security.”

The Chinese Communist Party is known to be one of the regimes most consistently targeting Canadian residents, companies, and government with cyber attacks.

The ex-lieutenant colonel’s wife reportedly worked at the same academy as Xu, serving as a language instructor according to his testimony. She was also accepted as a permanent resident and is currently residing with him in at their Winnipeg home.

According to Global News, Xu was employed for the majority of his military career at the PLA Information Engineering University (PLAIEU).

The outlet noted further that just last month, a Federal Court judge wrote, “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.”

Xu is said to have told border officials during an interview that "Yes I was an instructor at the university but I did not do anything beyond teaching."

However, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is now arguing that Xu "provided material support" to China's cyber warfare department by "contributing to the training and recruitment of soldiers" that would go on to work for them, reported Global News.

It is currently unclear why Xu was originally accepted as a permanent resident three years ago, however the Federal Court quashed the ruling in February, reportedly calling it "unintelligible."

A new hearing has been set to determine whether or not Xu will be deported, and the CBSA has also noted that it could begin proceedings to establish whether his wife should be deported as well.