UK research funded by China front company being sent to Beijing's spies, MI5 warns
British universities are being urged to sever ties with China General Technology Research Institute which is linked to the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS).
MI5 has issued a warning to British academics and universities, stating that over 100 academics linked to British institutions have unknowingly assisted China's espionage operations against the UK via a front company called the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI). The UK's internal security service claims that the primary purpose of CGTRI is to fund academic research that directly improves the Ministry of State Security's (MSS) technical capabilities for espionage.
More than 100 UK-linked academics have contributed to projects funded by the MSS through CGTRI, often without realizing the front company's role in their research. The security alert urges academic institutions to immediately review any ongoing or planned collaborations with CGTRI to prevent further benefits to the MSS. Security Minister Dan Jarvis has written to all university vice-chancellors to end relationships with the organization, emphasizing that the National Security Act of 2023 creates a new offence of assisting a foreign intelligence service if individuals are reasonably aware of what they are doing.
Brief written by urgent.news from BBC News's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
