Canada: Alberta province orders 4 universities to suspend partnerships with China amid IP theft concerns

Canada: The government of Canada’s Alberta province has ordered four universities to suspend new or renewed partnerships that could be linked to China and the Chinese Communist Party, citing potential theft of Canadian intellectual property.

The province sent a letter to the University of Calgary, University of Alberta, University of Lethbridge and Athabasca University about relationships with Chinese entities, Canada’s CTV News reported.

“I am deeply concerned about the potential theft of Canadian intellectual property and further concerned that research partnerships with the People’s Republic of China may be used by Chinese military and intelligence agencies,” reads a statement from Alberta’s Advanced Education Minister Demtrios Nicolaides.

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