An unprecedented warning: China is exploiting British universities to enhance its espionage capabilities

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British security services have warned that universities in the United Kingdom are cooperating with Chinese research projects that they say contribute to “directly improving Beijing’s espionage capabilities,” in an unprecedented public warning against a research institution linked to Chinese intelligence services.

British security agency MI5 issued a general warning about the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), also known as the Chinese Academy of General Technology, noting that the institution, which regularly collaborates with academics in Britain, has “extremely close ties” with China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), Beijing’s civilian intelligence and security service, according to the British newspaper The Telegraph.

MI5 said the “primary purpose” of the foundation was to fund academic research that could “directly improve” China’s espionage capabilities. A declassified security publication revealed that more than 100 academics linked to British universities participated in projects funded by the Chinese Ministry of State Security.

The authority warned that some aspects of cooperation included research in sensitive areas, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, secret communications systems, and “information hiding,” a technology used to hide messages or files inside other files or objects to avoid detection.

Although MI5 acknowledged that many academics and institutions dealt with the Chinese establishment “in good faith,” it called on universities and researchers to review existing cooperation arrangements and scrutinize the ultimate source of research funding with Chinese institutions, to ensure that Chinese intelligence services do not benefit from them.

The authority also warned that some participants may be liable under the British National Security Act, especially in cases involving assisting or receiving a benefit from a foreign intelligence service.

The Telegraph newspaper revealed the participation of an academic from the University of Cambridge in a study that received funding from a joint fund established by the Chinese Academy of Public Technology and the National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2015. Academic Michele Vendroscolo said that the study was not related to intelligence, security, artificial intelligence, or cybersecurity, stressing that neither he nor the University of Cambridge had received funding directly.

British Security Minister Dan Jarvis said that the warning reveals attempts by Chinese intelligence to “secretly benefit from the expertise and research” of British academics, which poses a threat to British national security and the security of allies.

He added that the government continues to work with universities and security services to confront threats, stressing the importance of international cooperation in the academic field.

On the other hand, the Chinese embassy in Britain rejected the accusations, describing them as “completely fictitious and fabricated,” stressing that cooperation between British and Chinese universities takes place voluntarily and in accordance with the laws, and that it achieves “mutual benefit.” London called for an end to what it described as “spreading lies” and undermining educational and research cooperation between the two countries.