In a move that’s got security experts scratching their heads, British universities have been signing up for partnerships with Chinese defense universities, despite MI5 waving a big, red flag about espionage risks. It’s like they’re playing a high-stakes game of Jenga, and MI5 is warning that the tower might just come crashing down.
Last April, MI5’s director-general, Ken McCallum, sat down with university leaders and dropped a bombshell: hostile states, including China, are eyeing up sensitive UK research to boost their military capabilities and give British national security a good, old-fashioned kicking. Yet, at least 23 British universities have gone ahead and entered into partnerships with Chinese institutions that are up to their eyeballs in military ties. Talk about a plot twist!
The Times has been digging around, and it turns out that at least seven British universities have signed or renewed deals with Chinese universities that are high-risk for military-related research. We’re talking about institutions like Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU) and Harbin Engineering University, which are key players in China’s military research. It’s like they’re rolling out the red carpet for potential surveillance, human rights abuses, and military technology development. Not exactly the kind of party you want to be invited to.
Take Queen Mary University of London, for instance. They’ve gone and renewed a collaboration with NWPU, a member of the “Seven Sons of National Defence” — a group of Chinese universities that are about as integrated with the military as you can get. And then there’s Robert Gordon University, which has partnered with NWPU’s National Subsea Centre. This place specializes in naval technology, unmanned aerial vehicles, and space technology. It’s like they’re handing over the keys to the kingdom.
And let’s not forget Aberdeen University, which has extended its relationship with Harbin Engineering University. This place is known for its research in shipbuilding, naval armaments, and maritime technology — all critical to China’s defense capabilities. It’s like they’re feeding the enemy from the inside.
Now, you might be thinking, “Surely, they’ve got some safeguards in place?” Well, MI5 and Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee have been warning about this for ages. Lord Beamish, chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee, has been banging on about the need for transparency and measures to monitor foreign interference in research. But has anyone been listening? Not really.
The Times’ investigation has uncovered that several British universities are still collaborating with high-risk Chinese companies, like Huawei and Shougang, both linked to China’s military. Imperial College London, for example, is still doing research with Huawei on video generation technology, despite the company being under US sanctions. It’s like they’re playing with fire and not even bothering to check if the smoke detectors are working.
Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith has warned that the British defense sector’s reliance on academic research makes these links particularly dangerous. He’s not wrong. The practice of using civilian universities for military research is less common in countries like the US, where such collaborations are more tightly regulated. But here in the UK, it’s like the Wild West.
Now, British universities are defending these agreements, insisting that they’re conducted with caution. A spokesperson from Robert Gordon University insisted that the institution uses “stringent processes” to assess partnerships, including risk evaluations and collaboration reviews. But is that enough? Luke de Pulford, executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, thinks not. He’s criticized the academic sector for becoming “vulnerable to malign foreign interference” due to financial pressures and competition for Chinese investment.
As the geopolitical rivalry between China and the US intensifies, the UK is stuck in the middle, trying to navigate the murky waters of academic collaboration and national security. The question is, will these academic ties endanger national security in the long run? Only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: the stakes are high, and the game is far from over.