英国军情五处周三发出史无前例的警报，警告一个中国组织代表北京的国家安全机构参与资助人工智能等课题的学术研究。
Britain’s MI5 spy agency issued an unprecedented alert on Wednesday to warn that a Chinese organisation was involved in funding academic research into topics such as AI on behalf of Beijing’s state security service.
军情五处在“间谍警报”中表示，100多名驻英国的学者为与中国国家技术研究总院(CGTRI)资助的项目做出了贡献。中国国家技术研究总院与北京的非军事情报机构——中国国家安全部(MSS)有着“非常密切的联系”。
In its “Espionage Alert”, MI5 said more than 100 UK-based academics had contributed to projects funded by the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), which had “very strong ties” to the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS), Beijing’s civilian intelligence service.
该警报称：“军情五处已确认，中国国家技术研究总院的主要目的是资助直接提高国家安全部间谍技术能力的学术研究。”
“MI5 has identified that the primary purpose of CGTRI is to fund academic research that directly improves MSS technical capability for espionage,” the alert said.
“英国学者为中国国家技术研究总院资助的项目做出了贡献，这些项目涉及人工智能(AI)、网络安全、隐蔽通信系统和隐写术等课题。这一活动支持国家安全部的间谍活动，对英国国家安全构成威胁。”隐写术是将信息隐藏在消息或对象中的做法。
“UK academics have contributed to CGTRI-funded projects on topics including artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, covert communications systems and steganography. This activity supports MSS espionage, which poses a threat to UK national security.”Steganography is the practice of hiding information within messages or objects.
军情五处表示，这是该处首次独立公开发布警报。这一警告是一系列有关中国间谍活动指控中的最新一起，突显了英国的安全担忧与政府寻求与北京建立关系之间的紧张。中国驻英国大使馆称这些指控“毫无根据，纯属捏造”。
The warning, which MI5 said was the first time it had independently published an alert publicly, is the latest in a series of accusations concerning Chinese espionage activities, and highlights the tension between British security concerns and the government’s moves to build ties with Beijing. China’s embassy in Britain described the allegations as “imaginary and purely fabricated”.
大使馆发言人在一份声明中表示：“我们坚决反对这种无端指责，并已向英方提出严正交涉。”
“We firmly oppose such baseless allegations and have lodged solemn representations with the UK side,” an embassy spokesman said in a statement.
“我们敦促英国情报部门停止散布谣言，停止破坏中英教育交流与研究合作。”军情五处表示，许多学者和机构会真诚地与中国国家技术研究总院接触，但不知道后者与国家安全部关系密切。中国国家技术研究总院有时被译为China Academy of General Technology (CAGT)。
“We urge the UK intelligence authorities to stop spreading falsehoods and stop undermining educational exchanges and research cooperation between China and the UK.”MI5 said many academics and institutions would have engaged in good faith with the CGTRI, which it said was sometimes translated as the China Academy of General Technology (CAGT), without knowing of its close ties to the MSS.
但该机构表示，继续这样做的人现在可能面临根据英国《国家安全法》被起诉的风险。该法于2023年通过，旨在赋予更大的权力来打击外国间谍活动和敌对国家的行为。
But it said those who continued to do so would now risk prosecution under Britain’s National Security Act, which was passed in 2023 to give greater powers to target foreign spying and hostile state activities.
安全部长丹·贾维斯表示，他已致信英国所有大学校长，确保教职员工终止与这个中国组织的关系。
Security minister Dan Jarvis said he had written to all university chiefs in Britain to ensure staff ended any relationship with the Chinese organisation.
他在一份声明中说：“这一警告揭露了中国情报部门试图暗中利用我们学者的专业知识和研究成果，损害我们以及盟友的国家安全。”
“This alert exposes attempts by Chinese intelligence to covertly benefit from the expertise and research of our academics, undermining our national security, and that of our allies,” he said in a statement.
“国际合作伙伴关系对于确保我们的大学和研究机构持续蓬勃发展至关重要，但我们将采取有力行动，抵御我们所面临的威胁。”近年来，英国与中国的关系变得越来越复杂。
“International partnerships are vital to ensure our universities and research institutes continue to thrive, but we will take robust action to defend against the threats we face.”Britain’s relationship with China has become increasingly complicated in recent years.
一方面，英国政府寻求与北京改善关系以加强贸易联系，并批准了中国在伦敦建造其在欧洲最大使馆的计划，但另一方面，英国也多次警告中国的间谍活动以及破坏英国民主的企图。
On the one hand, the British government has sought better relations with Beijing to improve trade ties and approved plans for China to build its largest embassy in Europe in London, but it has also repeatedly warned of Chinese spying efforts and attempts to undermine UK democracy.
去年，军情五处局长肯·麦卡勒姆表示，中国间谍构成日常的国家安全威胁，并正在制作虚假招聘广告，试图诱骗英国专业人士交出信息。
Last year, Ken McCallum, MI5’s director general, said Chinese spies posed a daily national security threat and were creating fake job adverts to try to lure British professionals into handing over information.
他的机构还在去年11月向英国议员发出警告，称中国特工正以他们为目标收集信息，并通过伪装成猎头或公司来影响他们的活动。
His agency also issued an alert to British lawmakers last November that Chinese agents were targeting them to collect information and influence their activity by posing as headhunters or companies.
6月，由美国、英国、加拿大、澳大利亚和新西兰组成的“五眼”联盟的安全机构发布警告，称中国间谍正积极利用在线招聘平台招募能够接触敏感信息的人员。
In June, security agencies from the “Five Eyes” alliance of the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand published a warning about Chinese spies aggressively using online job platforms to recruit people with access to sensitive information.
中国驻伦敦大使馆表示，该警告“完全是捏造的，构成恶意诽谤”。
China’s London embassy said that warning was “entirely fabricated and constitutes malicious slander”.