Call in the Swedish Anti-Spy Corps.
Posted on 05/09/2005 9:47:36 AM PDT by thierrya
China "suspected of spying at Swedish universities"
(AFP/The Local) China is suspected of hiring scientists to spy and steal unpatented research from Swedish universities, Swedish public radio reported on Monday.
Quoting an unnamed detective within Sweden's security service, Säpo, radio news program Ekot reported that guest scientists from China were suspected of stealing unpublished and unpatented research from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
The Chinese state is suspected of orchestrating the espionage, according to Ekot.
"Guest researchers (can) have assignments besides their guest research assignment: to come across information coveted in their home country," another Säpo inspector, Nils Kaerrlander, told Ekot, speaking of research espionage in general.
"There are also countries that would not hesitate to put pressure on guest researchers, who may have come here with no other ambition but to complete their research assignment," he added.
While Säpo often warns companies and research labs about the possibility of espionage from other firms or countries, spokesman Jakob Larsson insisted that the service had not gone public with any specific suspicions against China or any other nation.
"There is always a risk of espionage, since research is so expensive to do... but we don't know who this mysterious detective (Ekot) is quoting is," he told AFP, referring to the unnamed source.
One of the reporters who produced the story, Bo Goeran Bodin, however claimed that the detective had informed her superiors that she told Ekot about the suspicions against China.
"We have a woman detective at Säpo on tape, but she did not want her name to be revealed... We spoke with her several times and she has said it was China" that was suspected of the espionage, Bodin told AFP.
Karolinska Institute director, Harriet Wallberg Henriksson, said she took the reports seriously. However, she added that the university had not received direct confirmation from Säpo that an investigation was taking place, and said she was awaiting further information.
Wallberg-Henriksson also said that she that she regretted that China had been singled out.
"We value our partnership with China and other Asian countries which are currently making huge efforts in medicinal research and biotechnology, which benefits us in Sweden," she said.
Wallberg-Henriksson added that her university also valued its relationships with its guest researchers from China, and was anxious that they should not feel that they were being treated as spies.
In contrast with other countries, at Swedish universities individual researchers – and not their institutions – own the rights to research. This means that the direct victims of research espionage are academics rather than universities.
"We take all possible measures to protect ourselves against this kind of espionage," said Karolinska Institute spokesperson Sabina Bossi, "but ultimately it is in the interests of individual researchers to protect themselves."
Spying on Sweden? Is China working on an Inter-Continental Ballistic Meatball or something?
Quite frankly, China is trying to learn as much as possible. Quite frankly, XYZ (fill in the blank with the country of your choice) is trying to learn as much as possible about research going on in other countries. To not to do so would be stupid. The line between collaboration and stealing is a fine one.
They want to copy and build blondes.
BFD--we had a president once that just gave away state secrets, and he's never seen the inside of a prison (except for his marriage, perhaps).
In other words, Sweden will once again refuse to do anything when confronted with a clear-cut case of right vs wrong.
Absolutely.
Clearly, the Chinese are after the recipes of the Muppets' Swedish chef.
Hey, if they're low-cost enough, then who cares if you have to replace them every couple of years?
Call in the Swedish Anti-Spy Corps.
Quote: Wallberg-Henriksson also said that she that she regretted that China had been singled out.
What has happend to calling a spade a spade?? Is no one or anything responsible for bad behavior anymore???
Teddy Roosevelt would have beat them over the head with his big stick now we coddle them.
Translation: "What's mine is mine, and whats your's is mine".
It appears to be trend impacting all Western countries. They are seizing the means of production, and the science that underpins them.
Yep, you and all the other eternal (false) optimists, always putting the best possible spin on everything Communist Red China does.
Let me be clear for those like you that have limited understanding.
Stealing another's property is wrong. (I never said it was right.)
I only say it like I see it. China is a one of the more capitalist societies around and they will crush our economy if we don't learn to compete with them. And the negotiations should include intellectual property. It should also talk about freeing our industry from hind bound government regulations. Is that clear enough for the reactionaries that do not understand.
“Spying on Sweden? Is China working on an Inter-Continental Ballistic Meatball or something?”
No, they are expanding their military high tech base and are heavily focusing on space based technology. Yes, Sweeden is within Europe one of the technological leaders. Bofors, Saab and many others are based there.
The Chinese ramped up their space program for a reason. It's not for civilian use. They have been actively and aggressively pursuing high tech weaponry for a while now. At every juncture they try to break the arms export restrictions to them. At the same time they are attempting to expand their domestic capabilities.
If you go to German universities you’ll occasionally see a Chinese exchange student. Many are actually military personnel in civilian cloths while studying there. Near all are studying mechanical or electrical engineering, physics or chemistry. Something the state needs for their defense industry.
Red6
Oh-$hit,
What a pic. That's beyond hot.
Red6
They may be getting plenty of free research by developing personal ties with the research staffs of developed countries, but like the rest of the world, the Chinese and anyone else who is interested can do a lot of this without ever setting foot in the country.
http://info.ki.se/index_se.html
I would worry less about Chinese spies, and more about the fact that US doctoral and post-doctoral programs fill up with non-US nationals because American secondary and undergraduate educational institutions are turning out too few American "graduates" who could even read, much less make practical use of, whatever the "Chinese spies" are "stealing" (or whatever the "Chinese technicians and scholars" are "learning") in their interactions with Swedish researchers.
We are less threatened by the technical acumen of our increasingly prosperous neighbors in Asia, Latin America, and Europe than we are by the limitations of our capacity to propagate past scientific and engineering successes into the future.
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