MI5, Britain's domestic counter-intelligence agency, has publicly identified the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI) as having strong ties to China's Ministry of State Security (MSS), warning British academics and universities that continued collaboration could have potential criminal consequences.
In its 30 September espionage alert, MI5 said CGTRI's primary purpose is to fund research that directly improves the MSS's technical capability for espionage. It said more than 100 UK-linked academics had contributed to research projects funded by the MSS through CGTRI, with some potentially unaware that the institute was behind the funding.
