Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for national security of the proportion of funding for universities from China.

The United Kingdom welcomes international partnerships and students, including from China, who make a very positive impact on the UK’s higher education (HE) sector, our economy and society as a whole. However, we will always protect our national security interests, human rights and values.

As a matter of longstanding policy, the department does not comment on the detail of national security assessments. The department recognises the potential for overseas interference in our HE sector. We are committed to ensuring ways to increase transparency and improve HE providers’ overall resilience and economic security, whilst respecting the autonomy of universities.

A key element of the government’s International Education Strategy is diversification. Universities must ensure they have appropriate processes in place to manage risks associated with dependence on a single source of funding, whether that is from a single organisation or a single country. The Office for Students is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the financial sustainability of HE providers in England to ensure they have an up to date understanding of the sustainability of the sector.

The government is carrying out an audit of the UK’s relationship with China as a bilateral and global actor, to improve our ability to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses.