## UK-China Transparency
## Charity registration number: 1201902
## Review of the year
The year 2024 was the first full year of the Charity’s operation, and we were able to engage Sam Dunning as paid Director during the year. The Trustees are delighted with the way that UKCT has established itself as a key source of information and research in the UK’s developing ‘China knowledge ecosystem’. Our publications and projects received widespread coverage in the media. We have paid particular attention to critical topics where there has been a lack of information and evidence: IP theft and connections in technology, and interference in academia, communities and politics. Alongside this, UKCT’s work and growing reputation have allowed us to begin to build a unique network, including sinologists, parliamentarians, civil servants, scientists, businesspeople, activists and journalists. These contacts will help ensure that those who make and influence policy, in government, in academia, and in business, as well as the general public, have access to the facts.
Publications during the year included:
- The Mass Translation Project pilot, leveraging AI tools and volunteer proofreaders to translate important Chinese-language documents, such as an internal United Front Work Department textbook used to train CCP cadres in influence work amongst the Chinese diaspora worldwide.
- Research on a senior Imperial College professor and a scheme to connect the university’s leading data scientists into a collaboration with China’s leading military marine drone designer.
- Research on the Lau China Institute (the UK’s largest China research centre) at King’s College London. The work showed how more than 99% of its funding derives from a single donor living in the People’s Republic of China.
- Third-party research on BGI Group, a Chinese genomics company, and extensive data on UK universities’ China-based campuses and institutes. This was the latest in an ongoing programme to facilitate the publication of third party research and data. To date, this programme has seen UKCT collaborate with various think tanks as well as leading newspapers such as the Financial Times.
- Data about an exchange between the Greater Manchester Police and China’s Public Security Bureau.
- Research on a Foreign Office interpreter and translator who worked simultaneously for Chinese propaganda and influence agencies.
- The first part of a substantial research project on the UK’s second largest microchip company, Imagination Technologies. Drawing on whistleblower testimony, UKCT showed how the company had siphoned off key technology to China after being bought by the Chinese government.
2
Our plans for 2025 are to build on and expand this programme of research and events. We hope to expand our staff and develop our freelance research programme into a fellowship or internship scheme. This is with the aim of increasing capacity both to carry out research and to communicate and disseminate the results. The Director and Trustees will continue to seek out appropriate areas for future work.
## Governance
The Charity is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation whose only voting members are its charity trustees. Its charitable objects are the following:
1. For the public benefit the advancement of education, training and research in the relationships between China and the UK in education, business and culture and in good governance, ethics and transparency in such relationships;
2. The promotion of human rights (as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and subsequent United Nations conventions and declarations) throughout the world by all or any of the following means:
- Research into human rights issues;
- Raising awareness of human rights issues;
- Promoting public support for human rights;
- Promoting respect for human rights among individuals and corporations.
The charity addresses its purpose by carrying out specific research projects and disseminating appropriate publications. It also organises events and provides informal advice (for example to the press) based on its research. The Trustees pay careful attention to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. Before any project is undertaken it is reviewed both by the Trustees and also by appropriate members of the Advisory Board. Publications are considered in detail by at least two of the Trustees independently, to ensure that they fall within the charity’s objects and pass the test of public benefit.
UKCT relies on the advice of a formal Advisory Board as well as a wider network of academics, technical experts, and community leaders. We very much appreciate the expert input that our Advisory Board and other advisors provide.
## Trustees
Martin Rowland Village Chair Samuel Harry Williams-Dunning Director Sir Bernard Walter Silverman Treasurer Andrew Robinson Trustee (from 12 February 2024)
## Advisory Board
Simon Cheng Chris Hughes OBE Dr David Tobin Howard Zhang
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## Financial and risk review
The fundraising aim for the year was to raise sufficient funds both to fund ongoing projects and to put the charity on a firm footing for future activities. Over £40,000 was raised from individual donations and, in addition, an unrestricted grant of £5,000 was received from the Injustice Foundation. We are extremely grateful for all this support.
At the end of the year, the Charity’s assets stood at nearly £38,000. The charity now employs a part-time Director (three days per week). The Trustees have decided to hold £20,000 as reserves against unforeseen contingencies, with the remainder committed against current salaries and research projects. The full receipts and payments accounts are attached below.
Because of the conservative approach taken to the charity’s activities, there is no material uncertainty about the charity continuing as a going concern. Apart from the tight fiscal control used to avoid financial risk, care is taken over any risk (reputational or legal) of overstepping the Charity’s research and educational objectives. In particular any publications are carefully reviewed to ensure that all statements are evidence-based, with the evidence put into the public domain where possible. Legal advice is also sought where appropriate.
## Declaration
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
|**Signed** **on behalf of**|**the charity’s trustees**||
|---|---|---|
|**Signature(s)**
**Full name(s)**
**Position (eg Secretary,**
**Chair, etc)**
**Date**|**_MARTIN VILLAGE_**|**_BERNARD SILVERMAN_**|
||Martin Rowland Village|Bernard Walter Silverman|
||
Chair|Treasurer|
||6 February 2024||
||6 February 2024||
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## Financial Statement
The accounts are prepared on a receipts and payments basis. All funds and donations are unrestricted and there are no assets and investments. All funds are held in the Charity’s bank account.
||Year 2024|Period to 31 Dec 2023|
|---|---|---|
|**Receipts**|||
|Bank Interest|£ 53.17|£ 8.32|
|Donations|£ 37,678.67|£ 13,051.77|
|Events|£ 2,235.00|£-|
|Gift Aid|£ 3,791.79|£-|
|Grant|£ 5,000.00|£-|
|**_Total receipts_**|£ 48,758.63|£ 13,060.09|
||||
|**Payments**|||
|Bank charges|_£ 60.00_|_£ 40.00_|
|Employment|_£ 9,826.02_||
|Events|_£ 1,487.75_|_£ 2,051.50_|
|Insurance|_£ 658.37_||
|Legal and professional advice|_£ 2,273.00_|_£ 1,000.00_|
|Office expenses|_£ 2,025.12_|_£ 2,016.93_|
|Research|_£ 958.00_|_£ 883.70_|
|Travel and Subsistence|_£ 789.47_||
|**_Total payments_**|_£ 18,077.73_|_£ 5,992.13_|
||||
|**_Net receipts_**|£ 30,680.90|£ 7,067.96|
|Cash funds|||
|Previous year end|£ 7,067.96|£-|
|_Cash funds year end_|£ 37,748.86|£ 7,067.96|
|_of which_|||
|Reserves|£ 20,000.00|£-|
|Current and future projects|£ 17,748.86|£ 7,067.96|
**Statement by Independent Examiner** : I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Paul O’Brien ICPA, Dragonfly (Accounting and Financial Management) Ltd
**UK China Transparency**
**1201902**
**CC16a**
## **Receipts and payments accounts**
> **For the period** 01-Jan-24 **from**
31-Dec-24 **To**
## **Section A Receipts and payments**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds Last year
funds funds funds
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
Bank interest 53 - - 53 8
Donations 37,679 - - 37,679 13,052
Events 2,235 - - 2,235 -
Gift Aid 3,792 - - 3,792 -
Grant 5,000 - - 5,000 -
Sub total (Gross income for
- - 48,759 13,060
AR) [ 48,759 ]
A2 Asset and investment sales: none
Total receipts 48,759 - - 48,759 13,060
A3 Payments
Bank charges 60 - - 60 40
Employment 9,826 - - 9,826 -
Events 1,488 - - 1,488 2,051
Insurance 658 - - 658 -
Legal and professional advice 2,273 - - 2,273 1,000
Office expenses 2,025 - - 2,025 2,017
Research 958 - - 958 884
Travel and Subsistence 789 - - 789 -
Sub total 18,078 - - 18,078 5,992
A4 Asset and investment purchases: none
Total payments 18,078 - - 18,078 5,992
Net of receipts/(payments) 30,681 - - 30,681 7,068
A5 Transfers between funds - - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 7,068 - - 7,068 -
Cash funds this year end 37,749 - - 37,749 7,068
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**
|**Categories**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B3 Investment assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B5 Liabilities**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
**B1 Cash funds**|None
None
Current and future projects
Reserves
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
None
None
Signature|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**17,749**
**-**
**20,000**
**-**
**37,749**
**-**
OK
OK
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name
Bernard Silverman
Martin Village|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**|
|---|---|---|---|
||||**-**|
||||OK|
||||**-**
**-**
**-**
Date of
approval
04-Jan-25
04-Jan-25|
## **Independent examiner's report on the accounts**
**Section A Independent Examiner’s Report**
**Report to the trustees/** Charity Name **members of** UK China Transparency
**On accounts for the year** 31[st] December 2024 **Charity no** 1201902 **ended (if any)**
## **Set out on pages**
(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/12/2024.
- **Responsibilities and** As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation **basis of report** of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
**Independent** I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have **examiner's statement** come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
* _Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply._
**Signed: Date:** 07/01/2025 **Name:** Paul O’Brien **Relevant professional** ICPA **qualification(s) or body (if any): Address:** 34 King James Close Fordham, Ely CB7 5SA
**October 2018**
1
**IER**
**Section B Disclosure**
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
**Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose** .
**October 2018**
2
**IER**