The German Domestic Intelligence Service (BfV) has issued a warning regarding a potential outflow of knowledge and technology resulting from collaborations between German research institutions and Chinese universities. The BfV stated, in response to inquiries from the newspaper “Handelsblatt”, that China has been developing a “comprehensive system for technology and know-how transfer” over the past years. This system aims ultimately to expand the country’s political, economic, technological, and military advantages.
The authority noted that technology and expertise acquisition can occur through scientific cooperative projects involving universities and leading research facilities in Germany. The domestic intelligence agency perceives a serious danger that Chinese visiting scholars could be instrumentalized to serve Beijing’s “strategic ambitions.”
Areas of particular concern include emerging technologies such as quantum technology, artificial intelligence, and hypersonic technology, as well as bio- and surveillance technologies, many of which possess dual-use capabilities spanning both civil and military applications.
The BfV identified “legal gray zones” and a lack of adequate risk awareness within research institutions as potential entry points for such transfers. Furthermore, the agency cautioned that even the constitutionally guaranteed academic freedom could be exploited by the Chinese state.
