英國大學與中航工業合作遭美調查

High-tech collaboration between leading UK universities and China’s aerospace sector is under scrutiny as US authorities investigate links between Beijing’s top military aircraft manufacturer and Iran’s ballistic missile programme.

英國一流大學與中國航空業在高科技領域的合作正受到審查，此際美國當局正調查中國最大軍機制造商與伊朗彈道導彈計劃之間的聯繫。

Beijing Aeronautical Manufacturing Technology Research Institute, a subsidiary of Chinese state aerospace group Avic, was placed on a watch list by the US Department of Commerce last year because of alleged dealings with companies owned by Li Fangwei, also known as Karl Lee, a Chinese national wanted by the US for selling missile technology to Tehran.

去年，國有的中國航空工業集團(Avic)下屬的北京航空製造工程研究所(Bamtri，以下簡稱：中航工業製造所)被美國商務部列入一個觀察名單，因涉嫌與中國公民李方偉（另一個名字爲卡爾•李(Karl Lee)）所有的公司做交易，李方偉因涉嫌向伊朗出售導彈技術被美國通緝。

Imperial College, London and Birmingham University are among a number of western organisations and companies that have signed research agreements with Avic and Bamtri, covering a variety of aerospace technologies, mainly the development of lighter, stronger materials. Birmingham’s research programme, undertaken in partnership with western aerospace companies such as Airbus and EADS, ended before Bamtri’s inclusion on the US watchlist.

倫敦帝國理工學院(Imperial College)和伯明翰大學(Birmingham University)是很多與中國航空工業集團和中航工業製造所簽署研究協議的西方機構和公司中的兩家，協議內容涵蓋多種航空技術，主要是更輕更結實材料的開發。伯明翰大學的研究計劃與空客(Airbus)和歐洲宇航防務集團(EADS)等西方航空公司合作進行，在中航工業製造所被納入美國觀察名單之前，該計劃就結束了。

The questions over Bamtri underline the potential pitfalls of the UK government’s rapid expansion of trade and investment with China, which has recently invested in sensitive British industries such as nuclear power and telecoms. They also highlight the difficulty in carrying out due diligence given the opaque nature of many of the companies concerned.

圍繞中航工業製造所的問題突顯出英國政府與中國迅速擴大貿易投資合作的潛在陷阱，中國最近投資了英國的一些敏感行業，例如核電和電信。這些問題還突顯出，鑑於很多涉事公司的不透明特點，很難展開盡職調查。

Imperial confirmed it was collaborating with Bamtri on two research centres that opened in 2012. Its website says the project, with funding of £2.5m, is aimed at “forming lighter and stronger aircraft components” along with advanced computer modelling to improve manufacturing processes.

帝國理工學院證實，正與中航工業製造所在2012年設立的兩個研究中心展開合作。這所大學的網站稱，該項目擁有250萬英鎊資金，旨在“製造更輕更結實的飛機部件”以及改善製造流程的高級電腦模擬技術。

Asked about the programme’s future given Bamtri’s inclusion on the US watch list, the university said the collaboration “supports fundamental, non-classified research into new materials and manufacturing methods which could help develop lighter, safer and more efficient commercial aircraft”.

鑑於中航工業製造所被納入美國觀察名單，在被問及有關合作計劃的未來時，帝國理工學院表示，這次合作“支持針對新材料和製造方法的基礎混合性研究，可能有助於開發更輕、更安全且更高效的商業飛機”。

While there is no evidence technology supplied by either university reached Iran or that they supplied militarily sensitive items or know-how, a study by Project Alpha, a research institute at King College London specialising in proliferation matters, says there are few practical ways to prevent such leakage.

目前沒有證據表明，這兩所大學中的任何一所提供的技術被出售給了伊朗，或者它們提供過軍事敏感材料或技術，但專注於核擴散問題的倫敦國王學院(King College London)研究所Project Alpha的一項研究稱，幾乎沒有切實的方法阻止技術泄露。

Bamtri was founded in 1957 and according to its website was cleared for highly secret weapons development in 2011. Bamtri and Avic declined interview requests and did not respond to faxed questions.

根據網站介紹，中航工業製造所創建於1957年，2011年，獲得機密武器開發資格。中國航空工業集團和中航工業製造所均拒絕了採訪要求，也沒有對傳真問題做出迴應。

In 2006, according to a 2009 US State Department cable published by WikiLeaks, US officials said they suspected Bamtri’s export unit of involvement in attempts by Pakistan to obtain precision machinery for its Shaheen missile project.

根據維基解密(WikiLeaks)2009年公佈的一份美國國務院電報，美國官員曾在2006年表示，他們懷疑中航工業製造所的出口部門參與了巴基斯坦試圖爲其沙欣(Shaheen)導彈計劃取得精密設備的計劃。

US and UK experts have in the past criticised China for lax enforcement of non-proliferation sanctions against Iran, a signatory of several UN arms control treaties but not the Missile Technology Control Regime, signed by 34 western countries.

過去，美國和英國專家一直批評中國在對伊朗不擴散制裁的問題上執行不力，伊朗是聯合國(UN)幾個武器控制條約的締約國，但不是導彈技術控制制度(Missile Technology Control Regime)的簽字國，後者由34個西方國家簽署。

The US did not give a detailed explanation for why Bamtri was among nine entities placed on the commerce department’s Entity List in April 2014, according to a US statement, “for their roles in supplying Iran’s ballistic missile programme through the Chinese proliferator Li Fangwei”.

美國沒有就中航工業製造所爲何會在2014年4月被列入美國商務部實體管制名單(Entity List)作出詳細解釋，根據美國的一份聲明，被列入名單的“原因是曾通過中國擴散人李方偉向伊朗彈道導彈計劃供應過武器”。

Mr Li operates from Dalian, near the North Korean border. Last year, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation put out a reward of $5m for information leading to his arrest but he appears able to conduct normal business in China.

李方偉目前在大連工作。去年，美國聯邦調查局(FBI)曾懸賞500萬美元緝拿他，但他似乎仍能在中國正常開展業務。

Asked about Mr Li’s alleged trading with Iran, Chinese officials respond that they are only able to enforce the law — and many of the companies and front companies linked to Mr Li have not violated Chinese export controls.

在被問及李方偉涉嫌與伊朗交易時，中國官員回答，他們只能按法律辦事，與李方偉有關的很多公司和掛名公司都沒有違反中國出口管制規定。

A string of front companies linked to Mr Li has supplied items to Iran such as fibre-optic gyroscopes, guidance systems and hard to obtain alloys, according to a US indictment against Mr Li from 2009. Iran is believed to be manufacturing many items for its ballistic missile programme domestically but experts say foreign help is critical to the effort.

根據美國2009年對李方偉提起的指控，與他有關的一系列掛名公司一直向伊朗供應光纖陀螺儀、導航系統以及很難獲得的合金。據悉，伊朗正在爲其彈道導彈計劃在國內生產很多部件，但專家們表示，外國的幫助至關重要。

Mr Li was last interviewed in 2013 by Reuters, when he said he had long since ceased to engage in trade with Iran.

李方偉上次接受路透(Reuters)採訪是在2013年，他當時表示，很久之前就不再與伊朗做交易了。