UK university chiefs have made 180 visits to China since last year (2024)

British university bosses have made 180 official visits to China since 2023 despite security concerns, The Telegraph can disclose.

Vice-chancellors, pro-vice chancellors and executive-level staff in about a third of the UK’s 166 universities have sent delegations to China for discussions over research and expanding partnerships.

The data, conducted by the UK-China Transparency (UKCT) think tank and analysed by The Telegraph, shows at least 51 universities are involved.

Senior officials at the University of Huddersfield have made 18 trips to China in as many months – the most of any institution that disclosed information.

Coventry University’s top executives made 14 trips to China in the same period, while Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL), sent official delegations 11 times.

But several universities refused to share details, meaning the figure could be far higher.

UK university chiefs have made 180 visits to China since last year (1)

Alicia Kearns, the Conservative MP and chairman of the China Research Group, said: “The Chinese Communist Party [CCP] poses a growing threat to academic freedom and national security.

“Academics are failing to recognise that education is being weaponised. From research to creating a reliance on Chinese students to freedom of speech, we must recognise academia is not free from national security considerations.

“These reports make clear the urgent need to call for greater transparency over Chinese influence in UK universities.”

Itineraries of the visits showed UK universities are continuing to strengthen relations with China despite warnings over the geopolitical risks, including signing memoranda of understanding and discussing new partnerships.

An executive at QMUL made two trips to the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) “for research collaboration”.

HUST is categorised as “very high risk” by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) think tank, which tracks universities’ links to the Chinese state and military.

The 55,000-student university, which entered an official partnership with QMUL in 2021, has been supervised by China’s state administration of science, technology and industry for national defence since 2012.

It has also worked closely with the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) on the development of artificial intelligence and imaging technology for weapons, according to ASPI.

The vice-chancellors of De Montfort and Essex universities also visited “high risk” institutions in Beijing.

Prof Kate Normington, the head of De Montfort, and Prof Anthony Forster, the then head of Essex, met with senior officials from University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) in April and June 2023 respectively.

USTB has been under a joint-construction agreement between Beijing’s ministry of education and defence industry agency since 2018, according to ASPI.

UK university chiefs have made 180 visits to China since last year (2)

Other UK universities discussed expanding their existing partnerships with Chinese institutions during trips to Beijing since March 2023.

Five Heriot-Watt executives, including the vice-chancellor and global chief operating officer, met with officials from Xidian University in September last year, documents show.

The university’s executive dean for engineering and physical sciences returned for a separate visit to the university in March this year.

Xidian University, co-funded by several Chinese government departments, is also rated “very high risk” for its links to the Chinese military, according to ASPI.

It is among China’s top universities for research on antennas and radar, and also holds secret-level security credentials that allow it to work on classified weapons projects.

On a separate visit to China in May this year, Heriot-Watt’s executive dean at its School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society met with 10 Chinese institutions, eight of whom had their names withheld.

The Telegraph understands the Edinburgh university is in talks to sign partnerships with these institutions.

Senior officials at the University of Liverpool made eight trips to China, including six to its joint institute in Jiangsu. Founded in 2006, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) is now the largest international joint venture university in China, and recently opened its School of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computing.

Meanwhile, Prof Robert Van de Noort, the vice-chancellor at Reading University, held meetings with the Chinese ministry of education and the Huawei Research Centre, run by the blacklisted tech giant. Dates were not disclosed.

A senior Reading executive also made a separate trip to the China Scholarship Council, a Chinese state-funded fellowship scheme that has been heavily criticised.

‘Ideological training’

A report by the Civitas think tank published last year found the scholarship programme requires applicants to undergo “ideological training” by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials before coming to study in the UK.

British universities hold over 20 joint institutes and 250 joint programmes in China, with many used as a way to attract more international students and boost opportunities for lucrative research partnerships.

However, there are concerns that universities are deepening their ties with China despite fears about CCP interference, including over intellectual property.

MI5 issued a warning to UK universities in May that hostile foreign states are targeting sensitive research to advance their economic and military capabilities.

Prof Steve Tsang, the director of the China Institute at SOAS, University of London, called on the Government to “spell out… what are the kinds of technologies and academic collaboration that [universities] can or cannot have with China”.

“Vice-chancellors are first and foremost in this day and age focused on the bottom line. And Chinese institutions have a lot of money for partnerships,” he said.

More than 150,000 Chinese students are enrolled at British universities, contributing about £5.9bn to the UK university sector through tuition fees alone.

However, UK universities have been told to diversify their student intake to reduce overdependence on countries including China, with many now seeking alternative income streams.

‘Legal issues with UK-China schemes’

Sam Dunning, director of UKCT, said that while there was no inherent problem with visits to China, “there are clear legal issues with various UK-China schemes”.

“You’d hope, given those arise from Chinese governance, that they might be raised in meetings with Chinese partners,” he said.

“Universities should be using meetings with Chinese partners to promote academic freedom, and meetings with party officials to push back against CCP restrictions which are built into many joint programmes.”

The Office for Students introduced draft guidance earlier this year to coincide with new free speech laws that were due to come into force in August, but have now been paused.

The guidance said UK universities should take a stronger public stance against CCP interference in academia and axe any programmes that encroach on free speech.

In a document seen by The Telegraph, UKCT said it would have “represented a sea-change for universities in their relationship with China [and] would have had political ramifications for the Chinese regime”.

The Department for Education was approached for comment.

A De Montfort spokesman said: “As a global university, we are proud to have partnerships with universities across the world, including China.

“International collaborations have helped UK higher education, preparing students to thrive in a connected world and enriching their understanding and experience of different cultures.

“Where there are academic and student benefits in doing so, we will continue to collaborate with international partners.”

‘Important to maintain strong connections’

Coventry University said that as well as launching its new China Hub in July this year, it has a joint institute with the Communication University of China and a number of joint programmes with a range of Chinese universities.

A spokesman for Heriot-Watt University said: “Heriot-Watt University is a global research-led university with many Chinese students studying across our campuses.

“We also have around 9,600 Chinese alumni and it is important for the university to maintain strong connections to promote Heriot-Watt in this region.

“As part of our commitment to knowledge exchange and delivering world-shaping research, our academics travel to various institutions around the world to further promote deeper co-operation in scientific research, teaching partnerships and exchanges.

“Learning from others is vital to help our students strengthen their development and understanding of global challenges.

A University of Reading spokesman said: “All our partnerships in China are set up and conducted following the UK government’s guidance and directives on international collaboration.”

A Government spokesman said: “Universities are independent of the Government, and are responsible for the travel arrangements of their staff. We are committed to a long term and strategic relationship with China – underpinned by sustained and pragmatic engagement.

“We are taking a clear approach to managing risk in the research sector which is actor agnostic. This involves taking a whole-system approach across the breadth of research policy and activity to support the research sector make informed decisions on research collaborations, and ensuring that the government’s legislative tools remain relevant and sufficiently robust.”

The universities of Huddersfield and Essex were approached for comment.

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UK university chiefs have made 180 visits to China since last year (2024)
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