A high-level investigation into Chinese 'spies' operating in British universities could lead to arrests within weeks, according to The Mail on Sunday. Specialists from the Foreign Office, Special Branch, and HMRC have identified academics suspected of passing sensitive information to Beijing, including pioneering British technology that could be used to repress minorities and dissidents.
Investigators have reportedly found a correlation between universities that earn significant income from Chinese students and staff activities that have raised suspicion. Institutions under scrutiny include Manchester and Imperial College, which derive 26% of their income from Chinese students; Liverpool and Sheffield (28%); and Oxford and Cambridge (10%). There is no suggestion that any of these universities are aware of or complicit in wrongdoing.
Last year, it was revealed that a third of non-EU university students in the UK come from China, with 120,000 paying £2.1 billion in fees. The investigation was launched amid fears of a 'gold rush' by academics to strike deals with China over scientific breakthroughs. In February, MI6 officers were reported to be leading an investigation into over a dozen universities for potential breaches of export controls.
Earlier this year, Manchester University cancelled an agreement with a Chinese military technology company after being warned it had supplied apps used for mass surveillance of Uighurs. Queen Mary University of London has also established a partnership with China's Northwestern Polytechnical University, which specialises in military technology. A report by the think-tank Civitas accused 14 of the UK's top 24 universities of ties with Chinese weapons conglomerates.
