Canadian lab that handles world's deadliest viruses tightens security after investigation finds researchers with connections to the Chinese government and military gained access and MAILED live Ebola
A bombshell investigation has revealed that a Chinese couple employed at Canada's highest biosecurity lab were clandestinely transmitting information to Beijing and dispatched live Ebola samples to China.
According to a 600-page report recently unveiled by the Canadian intelligence service, the duo stands accused of permitting visitors into the lab who attempted to exit carrying plastic bags filled with vials containing an unidentified substance.
Dr. Xiangguo Qiu and Dr. Keding Cheng, researchers at the Canadian National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg, Manitoba, allegedly allowed unsupervised access to individuals linked to the Chinese government and military.
Furthermore, the report alleges that Dr. Qiu and Dr. Cheng maintained communication with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a facility embroiled in the Covid lab-leak theory, without notifying their superiors.
The lab, Canada's lone BSL4 facility housing Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa fever viruses, has been instructed to enhance its security measures following the breach. Universities collaborating with foreign institutions, particularly those in China, risk funding reductions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's administration reportedly endeavored to keep the Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS) investigation under wraps for years. However, pressure from the opposition and a special parliamentary committee led to the release of the redacted findings.
Dr. Qiu, renowned for her Ebola antibody research during the 2014 outbreak, was abruptly escorted from the lab in July 2019, along with her spouse, who served alongside her. The couple was officially dismissed in January 2021, though no formal explanation was provided.
The CSIS assessment, dated 2020, labels Dr. Qiu as a significant threat to Canada's national security, particularly concerning high-security facilities vulnerable to theft and espionage.
It alleges that Dr. Qiu fostered cooperative ties with various Chinese institutions and knowingly shared scientific knowledge and materials with China, disregarding Canadian interests.
The report accuses Dr. Qiu of transferring the Ebola genetic sequence to Beijing and sending live Ebola and Henipavirus samples to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. It also suggests that she participated in Beijing's Thousand Talents Program and had negotiated employment with a Chinese university.
Concerns about Dr. Qiu arose in 2018 when her name appeared on a Chinese patent for an Ebola treatment developed without lab knowledge.
Similarly, suspicions about Dr. Cheng emerged when students under his supervision attempted to leave the lab with bags containing vials of an unidentified substance. He was also caught with empty Styrofoam containers intended for transporting materials from BSL-4 labs.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) launched an investigation in response to these reports, revealing security breaches such as unauthorized visitors downloading experimental data and shipments labeled inaccurately.
Health Minister Mark Holland expressed surprise at the extent of China's influence on Canada's scientific community, emphasizing the eminent status of the implicated scientists and the ongoing efforts of foreign entities to sway Canadian affairs.
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