The British Home Office has announced that the “Foreign Influence Registration Scheme” (FIRS) that has garnered attention from the public will be implemented this summer. Chinese students studying in the UK may be required to declare their relationships with the Chinese Communist regime.
Failure to report their relationships with foreign powers as required may result in prosecution and enforcement of relevant penalties by the police under applicable immigration laws.
While the specifics of how this policy will be applied to British universities remain unclear, this is the first time the government has confirmed that international students will be included in the FIRS registration scope.
The FIRS scheme was devised by the Conservative Party in 2023, but its implementation has been delayed multiple times due to the government’s failure to clarify its position on China policies. However, an increasing number of hawks regarding China have warned that many Chinese students critical of the Chinese Communist Party may face surveillance on UK campuses, increasing pressure on authorities to combat Chinese infiltration.
A spokesperson from the Home Office told The Telegraph that international students who “act in the UK under the direction of a foreign power or entity as outlined in their plan” will have to be registered in the system.
The spokesperson emphasized, “The establishment of this registration scheme aims to enhance transparency, deter threats from harmful covert foreign powers, and seek earlier intervention opportunities to strengthen the UK society’s resilience against foreign infiltration actions.”
FIRS requires individuals conducting influence operations on behalf of foreign entities in the UK to register with the authorities and report relevant activities. The system is divided into two tiers, with countries posing higher risks to the UK listed under the “enhanced tier,” requiring individuals or organizations to report more activities to UK authorities, with closer monitoring.
As for which countries will be included in the “enhanced tier,” it has not yet been determined, with only Iran being announced to be included earlier this month.
However, there have been increasing calls for the UK authorities to strengthen measures against Chinese repression of dissidents.
On Tuesday, March 25th, The Telegraph revealed another incident where a Chinese student, using the pseudonym Haoyu, stated that during his studies at a top UK university in late 2022, he participated in protests supporting the “blank paper movement.” However, this resulted in his detention by the authorities upon returning to China.
He suspects his actions in the UK were reported to the Chinese authorities by fellow students, raising concerns about the surveillance of dissidents by the Chinese authorities overseas.
Earlier reports by European media have indicated that some Chinese government-funded students studying abroad were forced to sign agreements pledging “not to engage in activities detrimental to the interests and security of their homeland” and obligating them to regularly report to the Chinese embassy, with violators facing potential penalties.
A report released by the UK think tank Civitas in 2023 pointed out that some Chinese students applying for scholarships from the China Scholarship Council (CSC) had to undergo “ideological training” to ensure their views aligned with the Chinese Communist Party.
Currently, about 650 Chinese citizens annually pursue doctoral degrees in the UK through the CSC. The report suggests that the CSC not only provides educational assistance but also serves as a tool for the external ideological output of the Chinese Communist Party.
Swedish media also reported in 2023 that Chinese students receiving CSC scholarships and studying at the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Sweden were required to sign contracts pledging allegiance to the CCP as a condition of their studies.
In accordance with the Chinese 2025 scholarship application rules, recipients of funding must “thoroughly implement Xi Jinping Thought for the New Era of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.”
Currently, approximately 150,000 Chinese students are enrolled in UK universities, making them the largest group of non-EU students. This number far exceeds the student populations from countries like India, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
Several China experts have urged the UK government to clearly define how the new system will specifically apply to Chinese students.
Director of the SOAS China Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, Steve Tsang, pointed out, “China is ruled by the Communist Party, and the party’s operations directly obey the supreme leader Xi Jinping. Therefore, today’s Chinese authorities are executing Xi Jinping’s personal will.”
“The key is how the UK government will respond. What should they do?” Tsang told The Telegraph, emphasizing that while the UK can maintain good relations with China for exchange and dialogue, it must never do so at the expense of core British interests and values.
He warned that if UK higher education institutions train Chinese students to possess critical thinking skills but subject them to punishment by the CCP as a result, it would contradict the purpose of education.
“We even put some Chinese students we welcome to the UK in a situation where when we teach them to develop critical thinking skills, they may eventually face punishment from Beijing,” Tsang said.
Sam Dunning, director of the UK China Transparency think tank, also expressed that the UK higher education system lacks effective measures in safeguarding these students.
“The pressure on students critical of the CCP lacks protection, and the risks to academic freedom and intellectual property are overlooked. The entire system forms a complicit silence and inaction – a situation that is not sustainable and should not continue,” he said.