Hydro-Québec Learned of Unauthorized Publications by Alleged Chinese Spy in 2022, Court Hears

By Carolina Avendano
Carolina Avendano
Carolina Avendano
Carolina Avendano has been a reporter with the Canadian edition of The Epoch Times since 2024.
October 16, 2025Updated: October 16, 2025

Hydro-Québec learned that a former employee now accused of spying for China had published academic papers without its authorization in 2022, after another staff member flagged the publications as not being authorized by the utility’s intellectual property committee, a Quebec court heard this week.

Patrick Phan, head of strategic projects and partnerships at the Hydro-Québec research institute, testified on Oct. 15 at the Longueuil courthouse, where the trial of 38-year-old Chinese national Yuesheng Wang is being heard by Quebec Court Judge Jean-Philippe Marcoux. Wang is accused of spying for China while being employed at Hydro-Québec.

Phan said he learned of an unauthorized paper published in March 2022 under Wang’s name after a colleague brought it to his attention and asked whether Hydro-Québec’s intellectual property committee was aware. 

“This publication hadn’t gone through the committee or received committee approval,” Phan said. 

The matter triggered an internal probe that escalated to the utility’s corporate security branch, which filed a complaint that ultimately led to an RCMP investigation in August 2022. 

Wang, a resident of Candiac, Que., was arrested in November 2022, becoming the first person in Canada to be charged with economic espionage under the Security of Information Act, according to the RCMP. He was also charged under the Criminal Code with fraudulent use of a computer, fraudulently obtaining a trade secret, and breach of trust. 

Wang is accused of using his position to conduct research for a Chinese university and other research centres in China, as well as publishing scientific articles and submitting patents in collaboration with a foreign entity, rather than with Hydro-Québec.

“It is alleged that he obtained this information to benefit the People’s Republic of China to the detriment of Canada’s economic interests,” RCMP Insp. David Beaudoin said at a Nov. 14, 2022, press conference announcing Wang’s arrest.

“It is alleged that he used information without the knowledge of and without prior approval from his employer, thus causing prejudice to the intellectual property of Hydro-Québec.” 

Wang received two additional charges last year related to carrying out preparatory acts on behalf of a foreign entity–the Chinese regime–and informing that entity of his intentions.

He has pleaded not guilty. When concerns arose in 2022 that he was a flight risk, he said he would remain in Canada to clear his name.

A member of the prosecution team said during an Oct. 9 court session that the charge against Wang for fraudulently obtaining a trade secret had been withdrawn. 

The court heard on Oct. 15 that Wang did not hide his collaborations with Chinese institutions, listing them in 2019 when he sought a reclassification of his position. This led a manager to warn him that he could not publish with external institutions without informing Hydro-Québec, a practice Wang agreed to stop, according to Phan.

Phan said he did not personally confront Wang about the 2022 unauthorized papers. He noted that further investigation uncovered additional publications, some bearing only Wang’s name and others referencing his affiliation with Hydro-Québec and his fellow researchers.

Wang, who was hired by Hydro-Québec in 2016 on a work visa, worked as a researcher with Hydro-Québec’s Center of Excellence in Transportation Electrification and Energy Storage, which develops battery materials for electric vehicles and energy-storage systems. 

The Crown alleges Wang submitted applications to Chinese universities under the framework of the Thousand Talents program, a tool used by Beijing to recruit foreign-trained scientists from overseas Chinese communities. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has raised concerns about the program, describing it as a “non-traditional” way of collecting intelligence from other nations.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.

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