Sister denies detained Ontario university student is Chinese spy
Weiheng Zeng charged amid FBI counter-intelligence probe
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student → deny → probe
The sister of an Ontario university student arrested in an FBI counter-intelligence investigation has denied her brother is knowingly involved in espionage for Beijing.
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brother → arrest → Beijing
"If my brother is a Chinese spy, then I'm Trump's father," Meixuan Wang wrote in a social media post on Wednesday.
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Wang → write → Wednesday
Weiheng Zeng — a Chinese citizen born in 2004 and a student at the University of Waterloo — was arrested while attempting to cross the U.S. border from Windsor, Ont., last month and charged with making false statements.
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Zeng → bear → statements
According to a criminal complaint, Zeng admitted to accepting paid "taskings" from an individual he believed to be associated with a Chinese security service.
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he → accord → service
The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Michigan, includes security camera images which appear to show a man climbing a forklift, trying to open a locked FedEx truck and taking photos from a parking lot at Chicago's O’Hare International Airport in April.
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man → file → April
According to court documents, Zeng told investigators his unnamed contact directed him to photograph aircraft and tail numbers, in exchange for $20-30 US per picture.
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contact → accord → picture
The criminal complaint, signed by FBI special agent Robert Holbrook, also says Zeng recounted trespassing and taking pictures last year at a FedEx facility at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, at the request of the same, unidentified individual.
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Zeng → sign → individual
The allegations amount to "espionage-type activities," prosecutor Alyse Wu told the Detroit court.
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Wu → amount → court
Gina Balaya, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office, said in an email to CBC News the case is still under investigation.
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case → say → investigation
On Zeng's public Instagram page — where he goes by the first name Billy — he describes himself as a "photography lover" and says he expects to graduate from Waterloo's global business and digital arts program in 2028.
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he → go → 2028
His profile features pictures of planes, including Canadian military aircraft apparently photographed at an air show in 2024.
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profile → feature → 2024
Zeng’s Instagram page also includes photos taken on trips to Chicago, where his sister lives and works as an artist, according to her social media pages.
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sister → include → pages
Wang, who also goes by the first name Jade, told the Globe and Mail her brother is obsessed with airplanes and has autism spectrum disorder.
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brother → go → disorder
She said Zeng may not have realized the trouble he was in when he was questioned by U.S. border officers.
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he → say → officers
Wang declined CBC News's interview request.
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Wang → decline → request
Rhonda Brazile, a court-appointed federal defender listed as Zeng's lawyer, did not respond to a request for comment.
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Brazile → appoint → comment
Zeng is scheduled to again appear in court next week.
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Zeng → schedule → court
He remains in custody and did not request to be released on bond.
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He → remain → bond
RCMP spokesperson Camille Boily-Lavoie said the Mounties are aware of the case, but declined to say whether they were involved in the FBI’s probe.
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they → say → probe
CSIS referred questions to the RCMP.
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CSIS → refer → RCMP
"I feel, in a way, sorry for [Zeng]," Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, an Ottawa-based advisory board member at the China Strategic Risks Institute think-tank, said in an interview earlier this week.
"
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Johnston → feel → interview
I'm sure he didn't realize when he was doing this what he was getting into."
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he → realize → what
She said China's Ministry of State Security routinely leans on students abroad to gather information and take photos that could prove useful to Beijing's spy agencies.
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that → say → agencies
The Canadian suspected of spying on NATO was denied bail.
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Canadian → suspect → bail
Here's what comes next
4 ex-Western University students accused in London, Ont., explosives-making scheme face 19 new charges
Plane spotter or Chinese spy?
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students → come → spotter
"They don't have to use their own people to find out this information, and so they have deniability," McCuaig-Johnston said.
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Johnston → have → deniability
An unnamed spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa said in a statement on Wednesday that Beijing "firmly opposes hyping up the so-called 'China spy threat' and baseless speculations and smears against China."
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Beijing → say → China
Michel Juneau-Katsuya, who served as chief of the Asia-Pacific unit for CSIS, said people who agree to be paid to carry out tasks for intelligence organizations are referred to in the industry as "co-optees."
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who → serve → optees
"The question is, is [Zeng] a spy or is he somebody who was recruited to do a job for a spy?" Juneau-Katsuya said.
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Katsuya → recruit → spy
"And it sounds like maybe he's the latter."
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he → sound → ?
The Aporia
