Revealed: Scale of Chinese financial investment in UK universities
Revealed: Scale of Chinese financial investment in UK universities
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Exclusive: New figures reveal the scale of Chinese investment in presitigious UK universities, amid concerns bout Bejing’s influence. Top British universities have received tens of millions of pounds from Chinese organisations, The Independent can reveal, as experts warn the UK is increasingly becoming a target for Beijing as it looks to increase its global influence and stifle criticism.
![[Oxford University brought in £24,156,140 from Chinese sources from 2020 to 2024]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/11/27/12/4588e13128a810856f7ccf4117178659Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzMyNzg4NzY0-2.19446428.jpg)
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 from Chinese sources in the past four years. None of the universities in this report are accused of improperly accepting funds or any other wrongdoing.
![[Cambridge University received between £12m and £19m from Chinese sources from 2020 2024]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/10/31/15/iStock-517235492.jpg)
Oxford and Cambridge received the most donations, gifts, grants and research funding from Chinese sources. Oxford University brought in £24m from 2020 to 2024, while Cambridge received between £12m and £19m in the same period. This included money from Huawei Technologies and its subsidiaries to Cambridge after it was banned from involvement in Britain’s telecommunications infrastructure in July 2020.
![[Conservative MP Sir David Davis has repeatedly raised concerns about Chinese influence]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/08/02/b3622fbc3eb518caccb001ad2ad0c124Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM2MzcwNDAy-2.78511588.jpg)
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader and co-chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, warned that British universities have become “completely dependent on Chinese money”, leading to academics and institutions “kowtowing towards China and its views”. Sir Iain added the influx of money originating from China is stifling free speech and debate on China’s human rights abuses.
