Hundreds of UK academics probed over links to Chinese ‘weapons of mass destruction’

Scholars may face up to ten years in prison if found to have unwittingly handed secrets to Beijing

Chinese missiles seen on trucks as they drive next to Tiananmen Square
Chinese missiles on trucks during military parade in Beijing
(Image credit: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Up to 200 academics from more than a dozen UK universities are being investigated on suspicion of unintentionally helping the Chinese government build weapons of mass destruction.

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  Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.