MI5 warns about Chinese funding for academic research in the UK

The accusation came in the form of an alert from the British intelligence service MI5, which warned about the involvement of a Chinese organization financing research in the country on behalf of the Chinese government.

According to MI5, more than 100 UK-based academics had contributed to projects funded by the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), which maintained “very close relations” with China's Ministry of State Security (MSS), Beijing's civilian intelligence service.

“MI5 has identified that the main objective of the CGTRI is to fund academic research that directly improves the MSS's technical capability for espionage,” the British alert stated.

The warning, which MI5 said was the first time it had independently published such an alert, is the latest in a series of accusations relating to Chinese espionage activities and highlights the tension between British security concerns and the government's efforts to strengthen ties with Beijing.

MI5 said many academics and institutions had engaged in good faith with the CGTRI, which it said is sometimes translated as the Chinese Academy of General Technology (CAGT), without knowing its close links with the MSS.

But it said those who continue to do so will now be subject to prosecution under Britain's National Security Act, passed in 2023 to grant greater powers to combat foreign espionage and the activities of hostile states.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said he had written to all UK university leaders to ensure staff ended any relationship with the Chinese organisation.

“This warning exposes attempts by Chinese intelligence to covertly benefit from the expertise and research of our academics, harming our national security and that of our allies,” he said in a statement.

“International partnerships are essential to ensure our universities and research institutions continue to prosper, but we will take strong action to protect ourselves against the threats we face.”

The UK's relationship with China has become increasingly complicated in recent years.

On the one hand, the British government has sought to improve relations with Beijing to strengthen commercial ties and has approved plans for China to build its largest embassy in Europe, in London. On the other, it has repeatedly warned about Chinese espionage efforts and attempts to weaken the British democratic system.

Last year, Ken McCallum, director general of MI5, claimed that Chinese spies posed a daily threat to national security and were creating fake job adverts to try to lure British professionals into handing over information.

His agency also issued a warning to British parliamentarians last November, saying Chinese agents were targeting politicians to gather information and influence their activities by posing as recruiters or companies.

In June, security agencies from the “Five Eyes” alliance, formed by the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, published a warning about Chinese spies who were aggressively using online employment platforms to recruit people with access to sensitive information.