Well-known Canadian investigative journalist Sam Cooper has become one of the victims of the CCP’s transnational repression because he exposed the CCP’s infiltration and interference in Canada. Recently, he recounted his observations and personal experiences regarding the CCP’s transnational repression. (Liang Yao/The Dajiyuan)
[People News] An award-winning Canadian investigative journalist has become one of the victims of the CCP’s transnational repression because he exposed the CCP’s infiltration and interference in Canada. By observing the CCP’s actions overseas, he says the CCP’s infiltration and its legal and information warfare targeting dissidents are continuously escalating.
According to a report by Dajiyuan journalist Liang Yao, Sam Cooper is a well-known, award-winning investigative journalist in Canada. He has received awards for narrative reporting and investigative journalism and is known for exposing the infiltration, money laundering, and political influence of China and transnational organized crime in Canada. His book Wilful Blindness became a bestseller in Canada after publication and received multiple journalism awards. His work has influenced Canadian politics, law enforcement, and even the international security field.
In a recent interview with The Dajiyuan, Cooper said that the CCP’s threats and repression are no longer limited to within China but have expanded globally in a systematic and escalating manner. He revealed multiple modes of the CCP’s transnational repression: from spam emails and fake threats to targeting politicians, experts, scholars, journalists, community activists, and their families, extending even to ethnic minorities and religious groups. He called on the Canadian government to accelerate legislation and face the threat posed by CCP transnational repression and interference. He views the Linda Sun case in New York as a potential “litmus test” that may affect Canada, offering a model for Canada’s own investigations into CCP infiltration.
A Major Example of CCP Transnational Repression: Fake Threats Targeting Shen Yun
In recent years, the CCP’s interference with the Shen Yun Performing Arts in Canada has become increasingly visible, using bomb threats, fake information, and other transnational repression tactics. Although these threats were ultimately confirmed to be hoaxes, they caused theater evacuations, police investigations, and psychological fear, and are viewed as part of transnational repression.
As a professional journalist deeply familiar with CCP authoritarianism, Cooper said, “These threats occurring in a theater setting are a major example of transnational repression.”
He believes the CCP does this because the performance is related to Falun Gong, which the CCP considers one of its “five major enemies” (Taiwanese, Uyghurs, Tibetans, Falun Gong, and pro-democracy activists).
Cooper revealed that after his book Wilful Blindness was published, Canadian intelligence officials told him he had become a target of the CCP’s state security. The CCP attempted to investigate whether he received funding from Falun Gong or other groups the CCP labels as “enemies.”
“As a journalist, I know the CCP intends to eliminate Falun Gong. If they are acting against theater performances related to Falun Gong, it is undoubtedly part of their effort to eliminate this group,” Cooper said.
Regarding email-based threats, he noted that international experts who publicly criticize the CCP—such as German political scientist Andreas Fulda—have been targets of spam attacks. Some even reported bomb threats to the police. “In my view, all these behaviors fit the model of transnational repression.”
On July 13, 2025, Falun Gong practitioners holding an event at Queen’s Park in downtown Toronto were harassed and attacked by people waving CCP flags. These individuals attempted to charge at Falun Gong practitioners, prompting police intervention and media coverage. Such incidents occur worldwide. Cooper said, “CCP agents are often connected with organized crime groups and attack critics the CCP considers enemies.”
Deteriorating Situation in Canada
Cooper emphasized that in recent years, the CCP’s transnational repression in Canada has become more severe. Many politicians, journalists, and critics in overseas communities have become targets, and he himself has faced pressure due to his investigations into CCP activities.
He believes one of the most serious cases of transnational repression in Canada occurred during this year’s federal election, when Joseph Tay’s candidacy for Member of Parliament was obstructed. Because Tay spoke out for Hong Kong democracy, the CCP targeted him in propaganda, leading to threats and harassment during his campaign. Although the RCMP was aware, the government did not provide him with effective protection, forcing Tay to reduce face-to-face campaigning, which affected the election outcome.
Cooper stated that Tay suffered CCP transnational repression because he opposed the CCP’s actions in Hong Kong and its national security law. “In my view, this is a very serious, unprosecuted case of CCP transnational repression,” he said. “We know Tay had to reduce face-to-face campaigning, and his Liberal opponent won that riding by a margin of a few thousand votes. That riding is very important to the CCP.”
Tay is a former Hong Kong singer and actor who later immigrated to Canada. In recent years, his online media “HongKonger Station” posted numerous videos supporting Hong Kong’s freedom and democracy and calling for foreign sanctions against Hong Kong officials. On December 24, 2024, Hong Kong police issued a warrant for his arrest under the Hong Kong National Security Law, offering a HK$1 million reward. In 2025, he was nominated by the Canadian Conservative Party to run in the Don Valley North federal riding in Toronto, Ontario.
In recent years, the CCP has repeatedly sanctioned Canadian politicians. A well-known example is in March 2021, when China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced sanctions against Canadian MP Michael Chong and members of the Parliamentary Subcommittee on International Human Rights because they criticized CCP human rights abuses in Xinjiang. These sanctions included barring them and their families from entering China and prohibiting Chinese individuals and institutions from interacting with them.
Chong’s family was threatened in Hong Kong, which Cooper sees as a typical pattern of targeting critics’ family members.
CCP’s Global, Systematic Information and Legal Warfare Continues to Escalate
In November 2025, Xue Jian, the CCP’s Consul General in Osaka, made a “beheading remark” on X in response to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s parliamentary comments about “the use of force,” claiming that her “filthy head that meddles without permission should be chopped off without hesitation.” The remark triggered strong protests across Japan and sparked global controversy.
Cooper believes the escalation of such transnational repression is closely tied to the CCP’s military threats toward Taiwan. He said that Japan’s new prime minister made reasonable comments about Taiwan’s security but was threatened by a CCP diplomat, even receiving “beheading” threats.
“This shows the brazenness of (the CCP’s) transnational threats—they can extend to national leaders, journalists critical of the CCP, or even community activists. The same tactics can be used from top to bottom against anyone making reasonable comments,” he said.
A similar case occurred in Taiwan, where Legislator Puma Shen publicly exposed the CCP’s use of disinformation and united-front tactics to influence Taiwanese society. As a result, he faced CCP transnational threats and legal warfare. Beijing attempted to smear and undermine his political activities through media and legal tactics. The case is viewed as a classic example of the CCP escalating transnational repression globally.
“Beijing’s handling of the Puma Shen case clearly shows an escalation of its international legal warfare strategy. They are arrogantly telling other countries that they can extend the CCP’s authority globally and suppress free speech in other nations. We’ve already seen these covert tactics,” Cooper said.
He believes the cases of Puma Shen and Joseph Tay demonstrate the serious escalation of the CCP’s global use of “legal warfare” and transnational repression.
Cooper also noted that the UK has experienced CCP infiltration of Parliament and targeting of MPs. In the UK, the Ministry of State Security (MSS) used researchers and teachers to infiltrate Parliament and collect intelligence. The most well-known figures were former parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash and teacher Christopher Berry, who were accused of collecting personal and policy information about MPs critical of the CCP between 2021 and 2023. The case raised alarm across UK politics and intelligence circles. Although some charges were later dropped due to insufficient evidence, the case still highlights the CCP’s pattern of intelligence infiltration.
He believes the MSS’s covert policing tactics are being replicated globally—in Canada’s Parliament, the UK’s Parliament, and even community events—where similar intelligence-gathering and information warfare tactics can be observed.
Legal and Policy Recommendations
Cooper believes the Canadian government must immediately implement the already-passed Foreign Agents Registry Act to improve transparency.
He also emphasized the importance of MP James Bezan’s Bill C-219, which would criminalize transnational repression for the first time.
“Transnational repression can have deadly consequences for Chinese communities in Canada who criticize the Beijing regime. Therefore, this legislation is crucial, as it targets the CCP’s sharpest threats to Canada—not just politically but to the physical safety of Canadian citizens,” he said.
Cooper observed that Canada’s understanding of CCP transnational repression and aggression peaked during the “hostage diplomacy” crisis. But after Canadian Michael Kovrig was released—and especially under the current Liberal government—the attention to these issues has decreased.
He believes the Canadian government’s reduced vigilance about CCP threats constitutes an existential danger to Canada. “If the Canadian government reduces its attention to the threat the CCP poses to people seeking freedom, that would be a profoundly serious mistake.”
The Linda Sun Case in New York May Become a Blueprint for Canadian Investigations into CCP Infiltration
Former New York Deputy Chief of Staff Linda Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, appeared in U.S. federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday, November 12, facing multiple federal charges including acting as unregistered foreign agents, wire fraud, bribery, and money laundering. Prosecutors allege that while working in state government, Sun secretly acted on behalf of the CCP, trading political influence for money and lavish benefits.
One of the charges involves allegations that after the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, Sun and her husband manipulated PPE procurement contracts, steering state government contracts to Chinese companies controlled by their family and associates, receiving millions in kickbacks. The funds were used to purchase a US$3.6 million Long Island mansion, a US$1.9 million Hawaii condo, and luxury cars.
Cooper has been closely following the case. Based on his extensive expertise in CCP transnational money laundering and the CCP’s use of transnational organized crime, he concludes, “This is an extremely serious case.”
“Evidence shows Linda Sun used her family businesses to enrich herself … in exchange for influence over the New York state government. I believe this case may become a litmus test for CCP operations in Canada, particularly in Toronto and Vancouver’s Chinese communities, where rumors persist that some well-known politicians have profited millions from CCP bribery. These cases have not yet been proven in Canada, but I believe the Linda Sun case in New York will serve as a blueprint for Canadian investigations into suspicious politicians—if the government is willing to pursue them,” he said. △
News magazine bootstrap themes!
I like this themes, fast loading and look profesional
Thank you Carlos!
You're welcome!
Please support me with give positive rating!
Yes Sure!