CBCNEWS — Marketplace
20260920 013000 UTC
235 transcript segments
Original Broadcaster Captioning (Enhanced)
Data courtesy of The GDELT Project (https://www.gdeltproject.org/), from the Internet Archive TV News Archive.
Machine transcription. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a verbatim quotation record.

[00:00:58] [tentative music playing]
[00:01:10] [Gaétan] Several months into our investigation, we head to Australia.
[00:01:14] We've tracked down Eric,
[00:01:16] the operative who spied on Hua Yong for yea.
[00:01:20] We don't know where he lives,
[00:01:22] so we agreed to meet in a safe location.
[00:01:25] The man you see here is not an actor.
[00:01:28] It's Eric himself.
[00:01:30] In a remarkable turn of event,
[00:01:32] a former Chinese spy agrees to an interview.
[00:01:36] You guys rolling? Are you rolling? Ready?
[00:01:41] [Eric speaking in Mandarin]
[00:01:44] [interpreter] My name is Eric. Of course, that's not my real name.
[00:01:49] [Gaétan] For security reasons, Eric has asked us
[00:01:52] not to reveal his real name.
[00:01:56] [interpreter] From 2008 to 2023,
[00:01:59] I worked for China's secret police.
[00:02:06] It's a police force used to suppress political dissent.
[00:02:12] Its main targets are critics of the Communist Party.
[00:02:17] Over time, my role evolved. I gained their trust,
[00:02:20] was promoted and I became an agent,
[00:02:22] a spy sent on missions to various countries.
[00:02:38] I went to Thailand on a long term assignment.
[00:02:43] My primary mission was to infiltrate the Chinese dissident communi.
[00:02:47] ♪
[00:03:02] [Gaétan] Eric managed to get close Hua Yong
[00:03:04] and meet him in Bangkok.
[00:03:13] [Eric speaking in Mandarin] [interpreter] We talked about a lot of things.
[00:03:19] Hua Yong was influential
[00:03:21] and many of his activities upset the Chinese authorities.
[00:03:25] The goal of the operation was to bring him back
[00:03:27] to China and silence him.
[00:03:41] The secret police often use money to trap their targets.
[00:03:47] We discussed trying to lure hm with financial support
[00:03:50] to open a hostel or some other business ventur.
[00:03:53] The idea was to get him to go to a country where the secret police could control him.
[00:03:59] Like Cambodia or Laos. Preferably Cambodia.
[00:04:06] [Gaétan] So, do you have friends here in Australia?
[00:04:10] Not too much. A few. Just a few, you know.
[00:04:12] [Gaétan] Eric has agreed to tell us his story
[00:04:15] because incredibly, before becoming a spy,
[00:04:18] he too was a pro democracy dissident.
[00:04:32] [Eric speaking in Mandarin] [interpreter] I stumbled onto the website
[00:04:36] of the Social Democratic Party of China.
[00:04:39] Their ideas appealed to me, so I applied to be a member by email.
[00:04:43] The police then tracked me do.
[00:04:47] These police have enormous power.
[00:04:50] If you don't cooperate, you can end up in prison.
[00:04:55] So when they caught me, they forced me to work for th.
[00:05:03] I knew in my heart that I wasn't on the same side as the secret police.
[00:05:07] Deep down, I was still an anti-communist.
[00:05:09] So I knew that sooner or late, I would break with them.
[00:05:14] [Gaétan] Still, Eric spent 15 years as a spy
[00:05:17] before fleeing the secret police.
[00:05:25] His first mission abroad came in 2016...
[00:05:31] when he traveled to India to infiltrate a Tibetan event.
[00:05:36] [Eric speaking in Mandarin] [interpreter] I went to Dharamshala,
[00:05:38] where I met the Dalai Lama and other peop.
[00:05:41] I gathered some information, then wrote a report.
[00:05:45] We took a group photo and shook hands.
[00:05:52] [Gaétan] Eric had proven himself as a spy.
[00:05:55] Next, his superiors sent him
[00:05:57] on a special mission to Cambodia,
[00:05:59] a strategic location for the Chinese secret police.
[00:06:02] [dramatic music playing]
[00:06:13] [Handler in Mandarin]
[00:06:21] So, just if you can explain to me, what is this?
[00:06:24] [Eric speaking in Mandarin]
[00:06:26] [Gaétan] Eric tells us that one of his targets
[00:06:28] was the political cartoonist, Rebel Pepper,
[00:06:32] known for satirizing President Xi Jinping.
[00:06:35] He left China to escape repression.
[00:06:40] [Eric speaking in Mandarin] [interpreter] It was a special operation
[00:06:43] to bring Rebel Pepper back to China.
[00:06:48] We offered him a few business opportunities.
[00:06:54] [Gaétan] As with Hua Yong, the secret police tried
[00:06:56] to draw Rebel Pepper to Cambodia.
[00:06:59] [Eric speaking in Mandarin] [interpreter] We asked him to design a mascot
[00:07:02] for a large company.
[00:07:06] [Gaétan] The spy had the backing
[00:07:08] of a Cambodian multinational, the Prince Group.
[00:07:12] [Eric speaking in Mandarin]
[00:07:15] [interpreter] This is an inflatable version created from his sketches.
[00:07:20] Company executives were asked to take photos with the masco.
[00:07:27] [Gaétan] Eric's account reveals the extensive efforts
[00:07:30] China deploys to track down dissidents.
[00:07:34] [Eric speaking in Mandarin]
[00:07:35] [interpreter] These companies appear to be normal businesses
[00:07:38] with real commercial operations.
[00:07:41] But they're actually front companies
[00:07:43] that covertly cooperate with the secret police.
[00:07:53] [Gaétan] Suspecting a trap, Rebel Pepper refused to go to Cambodia.
[00:07:57] Hua Yong also evaded a similar secret police schem.
[00:08:17] [Gaétan] He continues to be tracked in Canada.
[00:08:21] Eric pulls off an impressive feat.
[00:08:25] He joins a new dissident group funded by Hua Yong
[00:08:28] in British Columbia...
[00:08:31] the Solidarity Association.
[00:08:35] [Eric speaking in Mandarin]
[00:08:37] [interpreter] I heard that Hua Yong was using
[00:08:39] the Solidarity association to carry out covert activities
[00:08:43] and even wanted to raise money to buy weapons and ammunition.
[00:08:47] [Gaétan] Eric gets back to his superios
[00:08:49] about Hua Yong's activities in the group.
[00:08:52] The spy insists it was too riy to withhold this information.
[00:08:57] [Eric speaking in Mandarin] [interpreter] I suspected that among
[00:09:00] the dozen participants in those meetings,
[00:09:02] there were informants for the Chinese Communist Par.
[00:09:05] If I had hidden that information,
[00:09:07] it might have made the police suspicious about m.
[00:09:11] To me, Hua Yang was a friend and a political ally.
[00:09:17] He was also a passionate, idealistic person.
[00:09:20] That matches part of my own personality.
[00:09:22] I'm something of an idealist myself.
[00:09:31] [Gaétan] On November 27, 2022,
[00:09:34] Eric writes to his superiors in China.
[00:09:50] Coming up... [interpreter] There are strange elements to this case
[00:09:54] that call for a deeper investigation.
[00:09:57] [Gaétan] How did Hua Yong die?
[00:10:07] ♪
[00:13:22] [ominous music]
[00:13:29] [Gaétan] To understand the circumstances
[00:13:31] surrounding Hua Yong's death, we travel to Gibsons,
[00:13:34] a small coastal community in British Columbia.
[00:14:10] This beach is where Hua Yong began his final expedition.
[00:14:20] A friend of the dissident welcomes us into her home.
[00:14:25] [actor's voice] He came over often. He was as joyful as a child.
[00:14:29] [Gaétan] Fearing for her safety, she declines to be filmed.
[00:14:33] But we are allowed to show the patio where they spend time togethe.
[00:14:37] She tells us what happened on November 25, 2022.
[00:14:42] [actor's voice] At 4:00 p.m., I saw his kayak on the horizo.
[00:14:46] At 6:00 p.m. I got a call askg me if Hua Yong was at my plac.
[00:14:51] I went to the beach with a small group of friends.
[00:14:54] I shouted, "Hua Yong! Hua Yong!
[00:14:59] Searches went on all night.
[00:15:03] By morning, they'd found his body.
[00:15:07] ♪
[00:15:16] Good morning. Good morning.
[00:15:25] [Gaétan] Li Jianfeng is a former Chinese judge
[00:15:28] who found safe haven in Vancouver.
[00:15:31] He made this plaque to commemorate Hua Yong.
[00:16:03] [Gaétan] Li Jianfeng had long known that Hua Yong
[00:16:06] was being targeted by the Chinese government.
[00:16:09] In fact, he helped Hua Yong flee to Canada.
[00:16:13] So it's from who? Can I see the sender?
[00:17:02] [Gaétan] A few weeks before his death,
[00:17:03] Hua Yong said his kayak almost sank
[00:17:06] after a yacht passed nearby.
[00:17:17] [Gaétan] Li Jianfeng put together a file
[00:17:19] on the case and shared several clues with the RCMP
[00:17:23] for its investigation.
[00:17:29] What was your first reaction
[00:17:32] when you learned that Hua Yong was dead?
[00:17:36] [Eric speaking in Mandarin] [interpreter] I wondered if he'd been assassinated.
[00:17:41] But later, information online suggested that
[00:17:44] it might have just been an accident. There are strange elements
[00:17:48] to this case that call for a deeper investigation.
[00:17:56] Once, after being hospitalize, he suspected he'd been poison.
[00:18:00] Some of his friends also believed he was poisoned.
[00:18:03] [Gaétan] But postmortem toxicology tests
[00:18:06] came back negative.
[00:18:14] The Chinese police tracked Hua Yong's every move.
[00:18:18] Eric reported Hua Yong's movements in Canada
[00:18:21] to his bosses and even shared photos of his home.
[00:18:30] [Eric speaking in Mandarin]
[00:18:32] [interpreter] My superior repeatedly asked me to report.
[00:18:39] Based on how the Chinese polie usually operate abroad...
[00:18:43] there were certainly other tes of secret agents in Canada
[00:18:46] to deal with Hua Yong.
[00:18:49] I'm almost certain of it.
[00:18:52] [Gaétan] Eric also revealed that
[00:18:54] there was a bounty on Hua Yong's head.
[00:18:58] [Eric speaking in Mandarin]
[00:19:00] [interpreter] My superior said that if we caught Hua Yong,
[00:19:03] there would be 100,000 yuan reward.
[00:19:07] [Gaétan] And the reward, it was for you?
[00:19:11] [interpreter] Yes.
[00:19:21] [actor's voice] A few weeks before he died,
[00:19:23] I told Hua Yong he couldn't use my kayaks.
[00:19:27] I thought it was too dangerous.
[00:19:32] [Gaétan] Hua Yong didn't have much money, but he found a patron
[00:19:36] who gave him the means to buy a new kayak.
[00:20:02] [Gaétan] Did anyone try to gain influence over Hua Yong using money?
[00:20:31] ♪
[00:20:40] [Guy speaking in French] [interpreter] Personally, I don't think
[00:20:42] anything should be ruled out.
[00:20:45] It's clear they're willing to silence someone by any mea.
[00:20:48] And of course, they'll do it without leaving a trace.
[00:20:55] It's a shameless regime that doesn't hesitate to use brutal methods
[00:20:59] to achieve its goals.
[00:21:06] [Gaétan] The RCMP says they found no evidence of a crime.
[00:21:11] Yet, three years after the death,
[00:21:13] the coroner's investigation continues,
[00:21:16] which is unusually long.
[00:21:20] The cause of Hua Yong's death remains a mystery.
[00:21:26] [Guy speaking in French] [interpreter] We mustn't underestimate the message
[00:21:29] this death sends to other dissidents.
[00:21:33] It's clear the Chinese know the lengths
[00:21:35] to which their secret services will go.
[00:21:45] [Gaétan] Chen Siming, a dissident connected
[00:21:47] with Hua Yong, knows this all too well.
[00:21:50] He claims he received threats
[00:21:52] from Chinese police after arriving in Canada.
[00:21:55] He was told to stop talking about President Xi Jinping
[00:21:58] if he wanted to avoid dying like Hua Yong.
[00:22:09] [sombre music playing]
[00:22:15] [Eric speaking in Mandarin] [interpreter] I want to remind Canadians that
[00:22:19] the Chinese government is very different from theirs.
[00:22:24] It's a totalitarian regime with strong fascist tendencie.
[00:22:29] It's a serious threat to world peace,
[00:22:32] to our democratic way of life, and to freedom of expression.
[00:22:42] [Dicki speaking in French]
[00:22:45] [interpreter] The freedom we enjoy in Canada
[00:22:48] was won over centuries...
[00:22:51] by generations before us, and it is priceless.
[00:22:59] It is very important to be vigilant.
[00:23:03] So do you know what you will do next?
[00:23:08] [interpreter] It's hard to talk about the future.
[00:23:10] Maybe the Chinese government will find a way to eliminate .
[00:23:13] It's a possibility. ["Stranger In The North" by Namewee playing]
[00:23:52] Oh, my God.
[00:24:08] ♪
[00:29:33] [theme music]
[00:29:35] ♪
[00:30:31] You're watching CBC News. I'm Steven Dsouza,
[00:30:33] Co host of The 5th Estate. Here's what's making news right
[00:30:37] now.
[00:30:39] CBC NEWSROOM. I'M DEANA SUMANAC-JOHNSON.
[00:30:41] I'M DEANA SUMANAC-JOHNSON. PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY'S IN
[00:30:44] PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY'S IN OTTAWA WHERE THE FINAL LIBERAL
[00:30:46] OTTAWA WHERE THE FINAL LIBERAL CAUCUS MEETINGS IS IN THE BOOKS CAUCUS MEETINGS IS IN THE BOOKS AHEAD OF M.P.s RETURNING TO
[00:30:49] AHEAD OF M.P.s RETURNING TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON MONDAY THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON MONDAY FOR THE FALL SITTING.
[00:30:52] FOR THE FALL SITTING. MARK CARNEY DIDN'T TAKE QUESTION MARK CARNEY DIDN'T TAKE QUESTION FROM REPORTERS AS HE ARRIVED
[00:30:55] FROM REPORTERS AS HE ARRIVED THIS MORNING. THIS MORNING. HE'S BACK FROM A BUSY WEEK THAT
[00:30:58] HE'S BACK FROM A BUSY WEEK THAT INCLUDED AN INVESTMENT SUMMIT IN INCLUDED AN INVESTMENT SUMMIT IN TORONTO, AND A SPEECH TO THE