Trial for Ex–Hydro-Québec Employee Accused of Spying for China Opens After 3-Day Delay

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Oct 10, 2025 - 09:54 Updated: Oct 10, 2025 - 09:50
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Trial for Ex–Hydro-Québec Employee Accused of Spying for China Opens After 3-Day Delay

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The trial of a former Hydro-Québec employee accused of economic espionage for Beijing began in a Quebec court on Oct. 9, after delays related to the utility’s request to keep certain corporate information confidential.

The trial for Yuesheng Wang, 38, a former employee at Hydro-Québec, was scheduled to begin on Oct. 6 but was delayed after the utility raised concerns that evidence presented in open court could reveal sensitive business and client information. Wang is accused of spying for China while employed at Hydro-Québec.

Quebec Court Judge Jean-Philippe Marcoux on Oct. 9 rejected Hydro-Québec’s request to preemptively redact some information, saying the information in question did not pose a serious risk to commercial interests and was not sensitive enough to qualify as a commercial secret.

The trial opened later on Oct. 9, with the Crown beginning to present its case.

“The RCMP investigation initiated following a complaint filed by [the utility] allowed for the collection of documentary and testimonial evidence confirming the accused’s access to confidential Hydro-Quebec information,” federal Crown prosecutor Sabrina Delli Fraine told Marcoux, adding that the prosecution maintains the information Wang allegedly obtained while working at the utility was confidential at that time.

“It may very well be that the evidence reveals that today, in 2025, some of this information is no longer confidential.”

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

The RCMP said Wang allegedly used his position to conduct research for a Chinese university and other research centres in China. In addition, he is accused of publishing scientific articles and submitting patents in collaboration with a foreign entity, rather than with Hydro-Québec.

“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,” Beaudoin said at the November 2022 press conference.

Wang was released on bail in late November 2022 after a Quebec court judge ruled he wasn’t a flight risk. Wang said he would remain in Canada to clear his name.
Wang received two additional charges last year related to carrying out preparatory acts on behalf of a foreign entity—the People’s Republic of China—and informing that entity of his intentions.

Wang, a resident of Candiac, Que., has pleaded not guilty.

During the Oct. 9 court session, a member of the prosecution team said the charge against Wang for fraudulently obtaining a trade secret had been withdrawn.

The investigation into Wang began in August 2022 in response to a complaint from Hydro-Québec’s corporate security branch, the RCMP said.

Wang’s lawyer told the court on Oct. 9 that he plans to file a motion to have the case dismissed after the prosecution concludes the presentation of its case, citing a lack of evidence.

The Crown alleges Wang submitted applications to Chinese universities under the framework of the Thousand Talents program (TTP), a tool used by Beijing to recruit foreign-trained scientists from overseas Chinese communities.

Canadian intelligence has raised concerns about the TTP, describing it as a “non-traditional” way of collecting intelligence from other nations.

“The PRC’s Thousand Talents Plan (TTP) seeks to exploit the collaborative, transparent, and open nature of Canada’s private sector, universities and colleges using scholarships, sponsored trips and visiting professorships to recruit individuals to advance PRC objectives,” says a 2023 briefing note from Canadian intelligence officials to a parliamentary committee.
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The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
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