Vancouver Police Foundation returns donation from community group linked to CCP police station probes

People’s Liberation Army vet with financial ties to PM Justin Trudeau raised questions for Vancouver Police funding body

Rongxiang “Tiger” Yuan speaks at event attended by NDP and Liberal politicians and united front groups Canadian Alliance of Chinese Associations and Canada China Cultural Communication Association: Photo courtesy of the authors of Mosaic Effect.

The Vancouver Police Foundation has returned a $5,000 donation linked to a high-rolling People’s Liberation Army hero and a community group with leaders targeted in RCMP investigations into Chinese police stations in Vancouver.

The Chinese army veteran, Rongxiang “Tiger” Yuan — who was cited for millions in suspicious cash transfers in British Columbia’s money laundering inquiry — also has financial ties to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau via a 2016 Liberal Party fundraiser in Vancouver that reportedly flooded $67,500 to Trudeau’s personal riding association in Montreal.

In response to questions fromThe Bureau this week, Vancouver Police Foundation confirmed it has returned a $5,000 donation to Canada China Cultural Communication Association (CCCCA) after the police foundation faced questions about Tiger Yuan, the high-ranking former PLA officer targeted in B.C. government casino money laundering probes.

“In mid-March of 2023, the Foundation received a request from a journalist regarding the membership of Rongxiang “Tiger” Yuan within the CCCCA and his alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party and alleged political interference in Canada,” executive director Andrea Wright stated. “As a result of this media request, we became aware of the unauthorized use of our logo by the CCCCA.”

Photos and documents obtained byThe Bureau show that Tiger Yuan and several leaders from a related group — Canadian Alliance of Chinese Associations (CACA) — were pictured with Vancouver Police Foundation logos that apparently credited them for funding Canadian police operations.

CACA is an umbrella group for over 100 Vancouver community associations with official ties to Beijing’s United Front Work Department and its Overseas Chinese Affairs Office.

These two Chinese Communist organs direct espionage and repression against Canada’s diaspora communities in a “massive operation” involving People’s Liberation Army intelligence handlers, according to an August 2023 Canadian Immigration Board ruling.

As Global News first reported in December 2022, several CACA leaders have been questioned in RCMP’s investigation of alleged Chinese police stations in Vancouver. RCMP hasn’t commented on the progress of its investigation.

Andrea Wright said the Foundation wasn’t aware of RCMP investigations of CACA members and the Foundation didn’t investigate allegations against Rongxiang Yuan, but still decided to return CCCCA’s funds.

“Due to the potential for this donation to distract from the important community-building and engagement work of the Vancouver Police Department [which is] funded by the VPF,” Wright said, “the VPF decided to return the $5,000 donation and to not accept any additional gifts from the CCCCA or any related organization.”

After this story was published, on March 5th a representative of CCCCA reportedly responded to questions from Sing Tao Daily, saying Yuan was not a member and did not contribute in CCCCA’s donation to Vancouver Police Foundation.

Cullen Commission documents show Tiger Yuan was investigated by B.C.’s Gaming Policy Enforcement Branch for suspicious cash-transactions totalling $4.19 million at British Columbia’s River Rock Casino in 2015.

But Yuan, who is called a Chinese Communist military hero in People’s Liberation Army documents reviewed by The Bureau, denies any involvement in criminal activity in Canada.

While the Vancouver Police Department has now distanced itself from Tiger Yuan and related Chinese community donors, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and B.C Premier David Eby, evidently have not.