Canada's Minister Melanie Joly recently gained significant attention for her frank acknowledgement of Canadian journalists resorting to 'burner phones' during a high-profile visit to China. The exchange took place when Global News journalist David Akin directly questioned Joly on whether China was a suitable partner for Canadian industry, revealing that journalists on the trip were using burner phones due to well-founded concerns about Chinese surveillance and the interception of communications. Joly's response, 'Listen, we've been clear-eyed. We are eyes wide open. We know this,' was widely reported and resonated across media platforms, indicating the Canadian government's explicit awareness of the digital security risks for its citizens operating in China. While some initial reports incorrectly referred to the visiting Canadian leader as 'PM Mark Carney,' Mark Carney is a distinguished former Governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, not a former Prime Minister of Canada. This specific detail in the original search snippets is inaccurate. However, the central and verified aspect of the story is Minister Joly's unvarnished statement regarding the operational security challenges faced by Canadian journalists in China. The use of burner phones by media professionals underscores a pervasive environment of concern over state-sponsored espionage and limitations on press freedom within China. This event further illustrates the delicate and often fraught nature of Canada-China relations, especially in an era of heightened geopolitical scrutiny. The incident aligns with broader international discussions on digital security, foreign interference, and the difficult balance nations strike between economic engagement and protecting national interests. The prominence of this news in an Indian publication like the Times of India highlights the global relevance of such issues, especially for countries like India navigating their own complex relationships with China amidst similar concerns over national security and information integrity.