CCP Influenced Top British Universities, Documentary Claims

British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne (L) and Chinese leader Xi Jinping (2nd R) visit Britain's National Graphene Institute at the University of Manchester in Manchester, northwest England, on Oct. 23, 2015. Richard Stonehouse/AFP via Getty Images

The Chinese communist regime has influenced the UK’s top universities and spied on Hong Kong activists in Britain, a documentary has claimed.

According to Channel 4’s “Dispatches” programme, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials have interfered with academic freedom at one university, and another British university department led by a Chinese scientist has collaborated with China on artificial intelligence (AI) research that can be used on controlling drone ships and developing missiles.

The documentary, titled “Secrets & Power: China in the UK,” also claimed Hong Kong activists in the UK have been approached by fake reporters and a major charity leader with ties to the CCP’s United Front Work Department (UFWD).

It comes after a report published in July by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) said the Chinese regime has managed to “penetrate every sector of the UK’s economy” through takeovers, mergers, and interactions with British academia and industry, and criticized the government and security agencies for their “serious failure” in protecting UK assets and negligence in tackling Chinese interference in the UK.

Alleged Influence on Academic Freedom

Steve Tsang, who headed the School of Contemporary Chinese studies at the University of Nottingham until the school was shut down in 2016, said he has been forced to host a talk with a senior Taiwanese politician away from campus because the university came under pressure from the Chinese Embassy.

The leading China scholar also claimed he had been quiet during Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s state visit in 2015 because a close colleague had asked him “on behalf of the vice-chancellor” to “turn down every single request from anybody in the media for one week.”

Other unverified claims in the documentary, made by unnamed sources who Channel 4 said had “direct knowledge” about the university’s decision to close Mr. Tsang’s department, asserted the decision was influenced by the school’s reliance on Chinese student fees, although the university “categorically refuted” the allegations against it, saying they are “simply not true.”

In 2004, the University of Nottingham and China’s Zhejiang Wanli University established the University of Nottingham Ningbo, the first of 10 universities in China set up in collaboration with a foreign institution.

Emeritus Professor Stephen Morgan, who worked at the Ningbo campus between 2013 and 2020, said in the documentary that books were censored and staff were spied on after Mr. Xi became Chinese leader.

“We would get books coming through that would have black lines through various words. Just even a mention of Taiwan could result in a black line through Taiwan. And of course, everyone could guess that it was Taiwan,” he said. “There was a push for students to dob in academics who said things that were ‘anti-China.’”

In China, “anti-China” is effectively a code word for “anti-CCP.”

The professor also said he was berated by the CCP secretary on campus after he wrote a blog that was “very critical” of the CCP’s constitutional changes.

“He more or less barged into the provost’s office, quite angry, and said, ‘You are condoning illegal actions,’“ Mr. Morgan said. ”What was illegal? Being critical. That’s what Western academics are about.”

Claims ‘Categorically Refuted’

In a statement emailed to The Epoch Times, a spokesperson for the University of Nottingham said: “We have categorically refuted these allegations by a small number of former staff members since they originally surfaced a number of years ago and will continue to do so in no uncertain terms, as they are simply not true. The University of Nottingham is committed to supporting and promoting academic freedom and ensures open research and freedom of speech.

“It is normal for universities to close or merge schools or departments for a variety of reasons and the closure of the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies was based on this school no longer being financially sustainable in terms of student recruitment and research activity. Scholars were transferred to other schools aligned to their research specialism encouraging wider collaboration.

“We do not recognise the descriptions of the University of Nottingham Ningbo China campus. Any UK institution operating overseas, of course, must observe the laws and customs of the host country, but we believe many of these claims have been misrepresented.

“Academic freedom and the space to discuss, explore, and challenge ideas is the keystone of any university, and we safeguard this academic freedom.”

The Chinese Embassy didn’t respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment. In a statement to Channel 4, it said, “The Chinese government has never interfered and will never interfere in the running of British universities and the claim that the Communist Party of China is posing a threat to the financial future of British universities is totally unfounded.”

The entrance to Channel 4's offices in London, in an undated file photo. Ian West/PA

Research Collaborations

The documentary also highlighted Imperial College’s Data Science Institute, which was previously headed by Guo Yike, an Imperial-trained world-leading AI expert from China.

Channel 4 said Mr. Guo published eight papers in collaboration with the University of Shanghai when he was the head of the Data Science Institute, including a number of papers on controlling multiple unmanned surface vehicles and one titled “Missile aerodynamic shape optimization design using deep neural networks.”

Mr. Guo and Imperial College are not accused of any wrongdoing, but the content of the research and their potential military application have raised alarms.

“With sophisticated artificial intelligence, [the Chinese military] can field drone swarms of hundreds, probably thousands,” said Martijn Rasser, former CIA analyst and managing director of security consultant firm Datenna, adding that a drone fleet is extremely difficult to defend against.

Mr. Guo, now and emeritus professor of the university, told Channel 4 the papers were written to “help expand our existing base of scientific or technological knowledge rather than immediately solve specific real-world problems,” and the examples used in the papers were for “illustrative purposes.”

He also said the technology has “a variety of” non-military applications.

Imperial College told the programme: “We regularly review our policies in line with evolving government guidance and legislation working closely with the appropriate government departments and in line with our commitments to UK national security.

“Partnerships and collaborations at Imperial are subject to due diligence and are regularly reviewed.”

The programme also included photos that appear to show Ping Huang, manager of events and education at the Data Science Institute, attending events connected to the UFWD, a department of the CCP Central Committee responsible for gaining political influence in and outside of China.

Hongkongers’ Spy Fears

Another individual pictured rubbing shoulders with UFWD members and British politicians is Edmond Yeo, chair of the Chinese Information and Advice Centre (CIAC).

According to Simon Cheng, founder of Hongkongers in Britain, Mr. Yeo had approached him, claimed to be apolitical, and offered to help with Hongkongers who moved to the UK after Beijing imposed a draconian national security law in Hong Kong.

Mr. Cheng, who was previously imprisoned in China, let out an exclamation when Channel 4 showed him a video that appeared to show Mr. Yeo in a pro-Hong Kong government rally.

The documentary also claimed that Mr. Yeo turned up at a meeting with the Metropolitan Police that was designed to reassure the Hong Kong diaspora of their safety, while Mr. Cheng and another Hong Kong activist were told the meeting had been cancelled. The Met told the broadcaster that the information about the meeting had been passed on without its knowledge and permission, and that action was taken to prevent such incidents.

The Chinese Embassy told Channel 4 it doesn’t accept the “stigmatisation” of the UFWD.

Ms. Huang and Mr. Yeo didn’t respond to requests for comment.

While most overseas Chinese community leaders are targeted by the UFWD and they are not necessarily all willing supporters of the CCP, their perceived CCP ties have been a major cause of alarm among Chinese dissident groups, including the Hongkongers.

Mr. Cheng is among Hong Kong activists who are wanted by Hong Kong authorities and have bounties on them both officially and unofficially.

An undated photo showing the injuries sustained by Hong Kong activist Finn Lau who was attacked in London in late 2020. Courtesy of Finn Lau

Hong Kong activist Finn Lau, who has been severely assaulted in the UK, said he had been approached by fake reporters.

In the documentary, Channel 4 filmed Mr. Lau’s interaction with one purported reporter who approached Global Detwin, a campaign group Mr. Lau advises.

The individual, whose social media photos show an ethnic Chinese, turned out to be a white American who used to live in China, the documentary alleged.

Channel 4 didn’t reveal the man’s identity, which The Epoch Times hasn’t been able to independently verify.