MI5 issues rare spy alert urging UK universities to cut ties with Chinese front CGTRI

Britain's domestic security service has issued a rare public espionage alert, telling universities and researchers to immediately review any current or planned collaboration with the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), which MI5 says is a front for Chinese state intelligence.

What the alert says

The warning was published on Wednesday. MI5 says CGTRI, sometimes translated as the China Academy of General Technology (CAGT), has "very strong ties" to China's Ministry of State Security (MSS), and that its primary purpose is to fund research that directly improves the MSS's technical capability for espionage.

More than 100 academics linked to British institutions have contributed to projects funded by the MSS through CGTRI. In some cases, MI5 says, the researchers did not know who ultimately stood behind their work.

The funded projects covered fields including AI, cyber security, covert communications systems and steganography, the technique of hiding a secret message or file inside an ordinary message or object. The Guardian reports that MI5 believes Chinese intelligence obtained access to cutting-edge British research, including work on scraping social media.

Legal risk and government reaction

The alert, issued after consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, warns of potential criminal consequences. It points to the National Security Act 2023, in particular section 3, assisting a foreign intelligence service, and section 17, obtaining a material benefit from one.

Security minister Dan Jarvis said he had written to every university vice-chancellor to end all arrangements with the company. "This alert exposes attempts by Chinese intelligence to covertly benefit from the expertise and research of our academics, undermining our national security and that of our allies," he said.

Universities respond

Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, which represents 142 institutions, said the sector took research and national security responsibilities extremely seriously and had invested significantly in due diligence and risk assessment in recent years. The Russell Group, which represents research-intensive universities, said it works closely with government and the security services to protect UK interests. The Chinese embassy has been approached for comment.