Monitoring Desk
OTTAWA: Canada’s military has said it recently discovered evidence of Chinese surveillance efforts in the Arctic.
The discovery, first reported by the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, has raised serious questions about China’s activities in the far north.
The development comes after a suspected Chinese spy balloon floated through Canadian and US airspace before the US military shot it down.
China has also been accused of interfering with Canadian elections.
Chinese monitoring buoys were discovered and retrieved last fall during Operation Limpid, an ongoing mission by the Canadian military. The mission is tasked with identifying threats to the country’s security by surveilling air, sea, and land domains.
Canada fully aware of Chinese surveillance operations
A spokesperson for the Department of National Defence of Canada, Daniel Le Bouthillier, said in a statement that the military “is fully aware of recent efforts by China to hold surveillance operations in Canadian airspace and maritime approaches.”
Mr Le Bouthillier added that China uses “dual-purpose technologies,” meaning devices that conduct surveillance for research and military purposes.
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He said the military has stopped bids to surveil Canadian territory since 2022 but did not share further details on their nature.
China has displayed interest in the Arctic for a long. It has sent high-ranking figures to the Arctic region 33 times in the last two decades and participates in major Arctic institutions.
Often for research expeditions, China has also expanded its icebreaker fleet and sent naval vessels to the north.
