Scale of Chinese investment in UK universities revealed

Top British universities have received tens of millions of pounds from Chinese organisations as experts warn the United Kingdom is increasingly becoming a target for Beijing as it looks to increase its global influence and stifle criticism, writes Jabed Ahmed for the Independent.

A series of freedom of information requests to Russell Group universities – an association of the top 24 research universities in the UK – found they received nearly £50 million (US$62 million) from Chinese sources in the past four years. None of the universities in this report is accused of improperly accepting funds or any other wrongdoing.

Oxford and Cambridge received the most donations, gifts, grants and research funding from Chinese sources. A University of Oxford spokesperson said: “Funders have no influence over how Oxford academics carry out their research, or on our teaching and robust policies on academic freedom … All donors are subject to our policies on the acceptance of gifts, and all significant donors and funders must be approved by the university’s Committee to Review Donations and Research Funding, which is a robust, independent system taking legal, ethical and reputational issues into consideration.”
Full report on the Independent site