Experts Raise Security Concerns About Joint UK–China Research Program
Udumbara
.
A joint venture campus between the UK’s University of Liverpool and a major Chinese technical school intertwined with the communist regime’s military has come under recent scrutiny for expanding collaboration with Russia and technical partnerships with China more broadly.
Last November, the Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), located in eastern China’s Suzhou city, opened its Centre for China-Russia Humanitarian Cooperation and Development.
Meanwhile, ASPI observed “risks posed by foreign science, technology and academic partnerships in China in a period of heightened geopolitical rivalry, intensifying technological competition,” as well as risks associated with Sino–Russian cooperation, particularly in critical fields of research that have both military and civilian applications.
Taiwanese security experts recently told the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times that the Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University joint venture highlights the long-running approach of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in using academic collaboration to circumvent foreign tech restrictions.
Global Partnerships Under Scrutiny
XJTLU was established in 2006 and has since grown to include more than 24,000 students and more than 1,000 academic staff, according to its official website. Its Chinese parent institution, Xi’an Jiaotong University, is one of China’s major national defense research colleges, founded in the 1950s by the State Administration of National Defense Science, Technology, and Industry and the Shaanxi provincial authorities.AUKUS is a security partnership between Australia, the UK, and the United States aimed at bolstering the allies’ stance in the Indo-Pacific. Though not explicitly described as such, AUKUS is widely seen as a strategic move to counter the Chinese regime’s growing aggression in the region.
.
Responding to an inquiry by ASPI, the University of Liverpool claimed it had “no involvement” with XJTLU’s China–Russia center and emphasized that all collaborative research adheres to the UK’s rigorous due diligence protocols. However, public reports show that the university’s vice-chancellor still serves as vice-chair of XJTLU’s board, and many senior administrators participate in its management.
Undergraduates at XJTLU receive degrees from both the Suzhou school and the University of Liverpool, while postgraduates earn degrees from Liverpool only.
Due Diligence
The University of Liverpool, in its response to ASPI, said that all its joint research with XJTLU is subject to “rigorous due diligence policies” to ensure compliance with the UK Export Control and National Security & Investment Act.The Epoch Times contacted the University of Liverpool for comment but did not respond by publication time.
The new China–Russia center is headed by co-directors Chao Qiuling and Artyom Semenov. The latter serves as an adviser to the Moscow regional government and is a member of Rossotrudnichestvo, a public advisory council under European Union sanctions for its role in promoting the Kremlin’s political and cultural narratives about Ukraine.
While officially neutral in the Russia–Ukraine conflict, China has close ties with Russia that both countries’ leaders, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, respectively, describe as a “no-limits partnership.”
.
The APSI report notes the growth of XJTLU’s Russia links, including a visit to the Suzhou campus by multiple former members of the Russian government during the opening of the China–Russia center.
Financial Incentives, National Security
Wang Hsiu-wen, assistant research fellow at the Chinese Military Affairs and Operational Concepts Division of INDSR, told The Epoch Times that partnerships such as that enjoyed by XJTLU may provide Beijing ways to “bypass the restrictions of the U.S. Entity List and continue accessing critical technologies such as chip design and manufacturing.”The ASPI said in its report that much of the activity at and surrounding XJTLU “appears to be at odds with the British government’s own defence, foreign policy and national security positions and policies spanning its relationships with the United States and EU and strong support for Ukraine,“ adding that ”it is also inconsistent with Britain’s broader security partnerships, including AUKUS.”
Wang expects institutions and programs partnering with China to come under increasing scrutiny as the U.S.–China tech competition escalates and Western governments hope to further reduce the risks of unwanted technology transfers to the CCP. Foreign universities must strike a balance between financial incentives and national security, she said.
Chung Chih-tung said that many Western universities cooperate with the CCP in exchange for financial support to ease their operational burdens.
“Western countries emphasize academic independence and separation from political influence, but when universities face financial difficulties, their profit-oriented nature makes them more likely to accept the CCP’s ‘olive branch’ through joint ventures,” Chung said.
In the process, he said, these institutions may be compelled to provide Beijing access to sensitive information, ultimately facilitating the CCP’s acquisition of advanced technologies.
Wang noted that the trend of Chinese funding to foreign academic institutions and joint research projects had accelerated since the 2008 financial crisis.
Chung believes that with the growing rift between Beijing, the United States, and governments aligned with Washington, Western authorities and institutions will increasingly perceive the risks of unvetted academic cooperation with China.
“Now Western nations recognize that ‘knowledge is power,’” Chung said. “Education is tied to technology, and technology is the key to economic development; therefore, education has become a matter of national security.”
