伦敦——英国军情五处（MI5）周三发布了一项前所未有的警报，指控一个中国组织代表北京国家安全部门，为人工智能等学术研究领域提供资金。
LONDON -- Britain's MI5 spy agency issued an unprecedented alert on Wednesday to allege that a Chinese organization was involved in funding academic research into topics such as AI on behalf of Beijing's state security service.
在其发布的“间谍活动警报”中，军情五处表示，超过100名在英国工作的学者参与了由中国通用技术研究院（CGTRI）资助的项目，该机构与中国国家安全部（MSS，即北京的民用情报机构）有着“非常密切的联系”。
In its "Espionage Alert," MI5 said more than 100 U.K.-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.
警报称：“军情五处已查明，中国通用技术研究院的主要目的是资助能够直接提升国家安全部间谍技术能力的学术研究。英国学者参与了由中国通用技术研究院资助的项目，主题包括人工智能（AI）、网络安全、隐蔽通信系统和隐写术。这些活动支持国家安全部的间谍行为，对英国国家安全构成威胁。”隐写术是指在消息或物体中隐藏信息的做法。
"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. "U.K. academics have contributed to CGTRI-funded projects on topics including Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, covert communications systems and steganography.
军情五处表示，这是其首次独立公开发布此类警报。这一警告是近期一系列关于中国间谍活动指控中的最新一例，凸显了英国安全关切与政府加强与北京关系之间的紧张局势。中国驻英国大使馆称这些指控是“凭空捏造、纯属虚构”。
This activity supports MSS espionage, which poses a threat to U.K. national security." Steganography is the practice of hiding information within messages or objects. 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.
使馆发言人在一份声明中表示：“我们坚决反对这种毫无根据的指控，并已就此事向英方提出严正交涉。我们敦促英国情报机构停止散布虚假信息，停止破坏中英之间的教育交流和科研合作。”军情五处表示，许多学者和机构在与该机构合作时是出于善意，且该机构有时被译为“中国通用技术研究院”（CAGT），他们并不知晓其与国家安全部的密切关系。
China's embassy in Britain described the allegations as "imaginary and purely fabricated." "We firmly oppose such baseless allegations and have lodged solemn representations with the U.K. side," an embassy spokesperson said in a statement.
但该机构表示，那些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。
"We urge the U.K. intelligence authorities to stop spreading falsehoods and stop undermining educational exchanges and research cooperation between China and the U.K." 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. 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.
安全大臣丹·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中国组织的任何关系。
Security minister Dan Jarvis said he had written to all university chiefs in Britain to ensure staff ended any relationship with the Chinese organization.
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。”“国际合作伙伴关系对于确保我们的大学和研究机构持续繁荣至关重要，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。
"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. "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促进贸易往来，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 U.K. democracy.
去年，军情五处总干事肯·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，称中国特工正以猎头或公司的身份针对他们，收集信息并影响他们的活动。
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 U.S., 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."