Belgium
The Belgian civil intelligence service states in its annual report that Chinese students are sent to several European countries “to acquire knowledge essential to certain military developments”.
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Belgium is worried about the risk of espionage in its universities, citing in particular the presence of Chinese defense technology students likely to deliver to the army of their country “all the knowledge” they have garnered.
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The threat was mentioned on Thursday in the latest annual report from the State Security Service, the Belgian civil intelligence service.
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“Students from military research institutes (such as the Chinese National University of Defense Technology) are sent to several Western European countries, including Belgium, to acquire knowledge essential to certain military developments,” said this 2019 report. , which describes Belgian universities as “gold mines” in terms of research.
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No precise figures
“These students and researchers then take all the knowledge gathered in Belgian universities to make it available to the army of their country. At present, a few dozen of these military students are active in Belgian universities, ”he adds.
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The State Security does not give a precise figure on the presence of Chinese students in Belgium, but its number two Pascal Pétry admits in half-words that “a particular attention” is paid to them in the country, which shelters the main EU institutions.
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“The will of China is to stimulate young researchers to enter interesting places in Belgium and to congratulate them on their return if they bring back useful information”, assures Mr. Pétry Thursday in an interview with the daily newspaper La Libre Belgique.
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Technological innovation
“The participants in these programs are at the origin of a loss of intellectual property which has repercussions on the funding of scientific research in our country”, underlines the State Security. “Indeed, when a certain technological innovation cannot be exploited, the university loses revenue,” notes the report.
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To remedy this problem, this intelligence service has set up an awareness-raising program intended to help the academic world to better protect its scientific research potential and its openness to foreign students and researchers.
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(AFP)
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