UK Orders Universities To Cut China Institute Ties After MI5 Spy Alert

Britain has ordered universities to end collaborations with the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), after MI5 accused the organisation of acting as a front for China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) and using academic partnerships to strengthen its espionage capabilities.

In an unprecedented public espionage alert issued on September 30, MI5 said more than 100 UK-linked academics had contributed to projects funded by the MSS through CGTRI. Some researchers may not have known that the institute was ultimately funding the Chinese projects, with MI5 saying many universities and academics had engaged with it in good faith because its links to Chinese intelligence were obscured.

The projects covered sensitive areas including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, covert communications systems and steganography, the practice of concealing information inside images or other digital files. MI5 said CGTRI, also known as the China Academy of General Technology, has “very strong ties” to the MSS and identified its primary purpose as funding research that directly improves the Chinese intelligence service’s technical capabilities.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis has written to university leaders urging them to ensure staff end all arrangements with CGTRI. He said the alert exposed attempts by Chinese intelligence to covertly benefit from British academic expertise and research, potentially undermining the national security of Britain and its allies.

MI5 warned that continuing such cooperation could have criminal consequences under Britain’s National Security Act 2023. The agency specifically highlighted provisions covering assistance to a foreign intelligence service and obtaining a material benefit from one. Universities and researchers have been advised to establish the ultimate source of funding in collaborations involving Chinese institutions.

MI5's investigation also identified cases in which Chinese intelligence officers allegedly posed as researchers at a British university to obtain potentially valuable material. Another case involved access to advanced British research into social-media scraping, according to The Guardian.

The alert is part of a wider increase in British warnings over Chinese espionage. In June, the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance warned that Chinese spies were using job websites to seek sensitive information from military and government personnel.

The Chinese Embassy in London rejected the allegations as unfounded and urged Britain to stop damaging legitimate academic cooperation. Meanwhile, the Russell Group said its universities take national-security responsibilities seriously while maintaining that international research collaboration remains important.