Would it have made a difference if the visa application allowed a student to stay in Canada indefinitely, and not go “back to China”?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_spy_cases_in_t...
Many of these individuals were naturalized or given permeant residence. Many of them were in areas of medical research.
This isn't only "steal stuff and send it to China" but also "become a researcher, get grants, partner with lab in China and send them the grant money." For example:
> In May 2021, Dr. Song Guo Zheng, an Ohio resident and rheumatology professor/researcher with "strong ties to China" was sentenced to 37 months in prison and ordered to pay over $3.8 million in restitution to the NIH and Ohio State University (at which Zheng formerly led a research team) after being convicted of making false statements to federal authorities regarding his ties to China. He had, before his sentencing, pleaded guilty to lying on NIH grant applications to spend funds helping develop China's immunology and rheumatology expertise. Zheng had lied about and hidden his connection to China's Thousand Talents Plan, which the FBI described as "a program established by the Chinese government to recruit individuals with knowledge or access to foreign technology intellectual property."