Former CSIS chief warns that China ‘will acquire’ all information about you in Chinese EVs

A shipment of Chinese electric vehicles arrives in Argentina earlier this year. The flow of Chinese-made EVs to Canada has begun, with the pace expected to ramp up in 2027, despite concerns they could be used to gather data for Beijing. Photo by Tomas Cuesta/AFP via Getty Images

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OTTAWA — As Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers boost exports to Canada, the country’s former spy chief warned that everything you do in or around one of those cars will be acquired by China.

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In a rare interview with the BBC last month, former CSIS head David Vigneault did not mince his words: China’s theft of Western intellectual property amounts to a “lost generation of prosperity” for Canada. Furthermore, the Chinese government will use Chinese electric vehicles to further harvest data on Canadians and foreigners.

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“Not to overhype it, but there is the reality that all of your data, what you say, where you go, with whom you are, who you associate with, everything you do around your car, will be acquired by China,” Vigneault said if had concerns about Chinese electric vehicles.

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“It is not a question for me, it is a reality,” added Vigneault, who headed CSIS from 2017 to 2024.

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Vigneault is not the first current or former Five Eyes intelligence chief to express concerns about Chinese-made electric vehicles. But he is the most high-profile recent Canadian intelligence official to plainly state grave concerns about how the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will use them as intelligence-collecting devices.

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The Chinese government has consistently denied any claims that its domestic companies can be used as information-gathering platforms.

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Vigneault’s comments come as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government works to attract joint-venture Chinese EV manufacturing to Canada in a bid to replace fleeing U.S. automakers.

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Earlier this year, Carney travelled to China where he announced wide-ranging new deals with PRC President Xi Jinping to boost trade between both countries, including dropping Canadian tariffs to the lowest level for nearly 50,000 Chinese EVs annually.

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“To make Canada a leader in electric vehicle manufacturing, we’re working to attract significant new joint-venture Chinese investments,” Carney said in a statement at the time.

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Last week, Chinese EV manufacturer Geely Auto — which also owns brands Lynk & Co and Zeekr — announced it would be introducing its vehicles into the Canadian market for the first time next year.

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When asked about concerns linked to Chinese tech and espionage, the prime minister has repeatedly said he is entering “eyes wide open” into the new strategic partnership with China.

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During the podcast, Vigneault said he understands that Canada “absolutely needs” to do business with the Asian economic behemoth. But “eyes wide open” isn’t quite enough.

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“You need to have more than your eyes wide open; you need to also make sure that you’re protecting your wallet in your back pocket,” said the current chief intelligence officer at Strider.

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That’s because China’s longtime efforts to steal intellectual property from Western governments, companies and research facilities has cost tens of billions to Canada and its allies, Vigneault told BBC.