Over a dozen British universities and nearly 200 academics are under investigation in the United Kingdom for allegedly transferring military technology to China which helped them develop weapons of mass destruction, The Week reports.
The universities and academics have not been publicly identified due to national security concerns.
The academics and institutions are under suspicion of providing the Chinese government with military technology and research in aircraft and missile design and cyberweapons. Some of the companies and research institutes which British universities have collaborated with are involved with China's nuclear program.
The academics are suspected of having done so "unwittingly," however, as they provided the technology to Chinese companies rather than the Chinese government. The Chinese government maintains a high degree of intervention in their economy, and there is little clear distinction between a private company and a government-controlled company in the country.
If the allegations are further substantiated, the academics involved could be charged with providing sensitive intellectual property to a hostile power. If found guilty, each of the academics could spend up to ten years in prison.
Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Tugendhat criticized the universities for their actions, stating that "some in Britain’s universities have lost their moral bearings and are not promoting academic freedom, but undermining our strategic interests."
"British taxpayers are paying for research that might unintentionally help China's military soon attain a potentially dominant position," said Radomir Tylecote, who authored an independent study into the relationship between British universities and China.
Tylecote's study, which was done with the organization Civitas, accuses 14 universities in the UK of collaborating with the Chinese government in the development of missile, radar jamming, and stealth technology, among other important military developments.
Cambridge University, one of the top universities in the United Kingdom, was mentioned in the report as having collaborated with the National University of Defense Technology in China, an institution which is sanctioned by the American government.
Manchester University, Queen Mary University of London, and Southampton University were also mentioned in the study.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government has praised the willingness of British universities to work with Chinese firms, stating that it will "greatly raise the nation's power in the fields of national defence, communications and… high precision navigation."
The British Foreign Office is expected to introduce a new vetting system for academics in the near future to hinder Chinese spying efforts.
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