Unveiling Troubling Ties at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
A joint venture between the UK's University of Liverpool and China's Xi'an Jiaotong University has come under intense scrutiny for its expanding collaborations with entities tied to both the Chinese and Russian governments. The campus, known as Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), located in Suzhou, China, was established in 2006 as a pioneering educational partnership. However, recent developments have raised alarms about potential national security risks for the UK and its allies due to the university's connections with sanctioned organizations and individuals.
Last November, XJTLU launched its Centre for China-Russia Humanitarian Cooperation and Development, an initiative that has drawn particular concern. A high-level delegation from the Moscow Region Government attended the opening ceremony, including Olga Zabralova, Advisor to the Governor of the Moscow Region, who has been sanctioned by Western nations for her role in supporting Russia's actions in Ukraine.
Sanctioned Partnerships and Technology Transfers
A detailed report released on June 3 by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) highlighted XJTLU's previously unreported links to sanctioned entities. The report pointed out that the new China-Russia cooperation center at XJTLU is co-directed by an individual affiliated with a Russian government agency under Western sanctions. Additionally, XJTLU has forged ties with a leading Chinese government supercomputing center, which was added to the US federal entity list in 2021 for its contributions to China's military modernization efforts.
Further complicating matters, XJTLU hosts a chips school co-founded by a US-sanctioned Chinese semiconductor research institute. According to ASPI, top staff at the joint campus have openly stated ambitions to design and manufacture their own semiconductors, raising fears about potential technology transfers that could benefit military applications in China. These partnerships underscore broader concerns about academic collaborations inadvertently aiding adversarial nations in sensitive technological fields.
The University of Liverpool's involvement with Xi'an Jiaotong University, a leading Chinese defense university supervised by China's defense-industry authorities, adds another layer of complexity. The Chinese partner institution has historically supplied talent and research to the Rocket Force of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), intensifying worries about dual-use technologies emerging from this collaboration.
Implications for UK National Security
The revelations about XJTLU's activities have sparked a broader debate about the risks of academic partnerships with nations like China and Russia, especially in fields with military or strategic implications. ASPI's findings suggest that such joint ventures could serve as conduits for sensitive technology and knowledge transfer, potentially undermining the security interests of the UK and its allies. Bethany Allen, a researcher involved in the ASPI report, emphasized the gravity of these connections, noting the direct involvement of sanctioned individuals in XJTLU's initiatives.
As geopolitical tensions continue to rise, the UK faces mounting pressure to reassess its academic engagements with foreign institutions, particularly those intertwined with authoritarian regimes. While educational partnerships can foster cultural exchange and innovation, the case of XJTLU illustrates how such collaborations can also pose significant challenges to national security. Policymakers and university leaders are now tasked with balancing the benefits of international cooperation against the risks of unintended consequences in an increasingly complex global landscape.