Over 50 Chinese students flee after action by United Kingdom

London: Chief of British intelligence agency MI5 informed that more than 50 Chinese Students have fled from the country against the background of the United Kingdom making tough amendments to the laws and the actions initiated by the concerned agencies. Only two days ago, Chiefs of British intelligence agency MI5 and US agency Federal Bureau of Investigation held a joint press conference pointing out the Chinese threat. During the conference, attention was drawn to the covert activities of the Chinese communist regime worldwide.

A few decades ago, the Chinese communist regime implemented the ‘Thousand Talents Plan’. The outline of the plan was to send Chinese students to foreign universities to acquire higher education. But it was exposed later that this scheme was an espionage plan under the pretext of education, research and skills acquisition. Many such incidents have been reported from Europe and the United States and some have even been filed in court.

It was exposed that Chinese students were involved in the theft of advanced technology and sensitive information in the sectors like defence, telecommunication, energy, Robotics and science. Many countries, including the United States, have initiated aggressive measures against this. This included measures like visa ban, student background checks, and the requirement to announce their relations with Chinese government departments. The United Kingdom included tough provisions in the ‘Academic Technology Approval Scheme’ applicable to foreign students. Declaration of grants received from foreign institutions and individuals has also been made mandatory for British universities.

At the same time, British intelligence and security agencies have intensified the scope of activities against Chinese spies. Given all these developments, Chinese students ‘studying’ in the United Kingdom have started fleeing the country. MI5 chief Ken McCullum said that nearly 50 students had fled the country. McCullum said that the British agencies suspect these students were connected with the Chinese Peoples’ Liberation Army.