MI5 has warned that more than 100 academics linked to British institutions have unknowingly helped China’s espionage efforts against the UK through a front firm working for its intelligence and security services.
In an unprecedented public warning, the UK’s domestic spy agency has cautioned universities and researchers that their links to the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI) could one day lead to criminal charges for supporting a foreign power.
Security minister Dan Jarvis said the alert from MI5 showed Chinese intelligence services were trying to use British academic research to weaken UK national security. The charge is fictional and totally contrived, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Embassy in London stated.
Universities UK, which represents more than 140 institutions, meanwhile said it was assessing the alert and focused on “supporting our universities as they assess any implications for existing or future partnerships”.
In June, MI5 and its closest partners in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand issued a combined warning that China’s military intelligence services were targeting professional networking sites and online job portals.
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