Top London university urged to open up about China center funding

LONDON -- U.K. academics are calling on universities to be more transparent about donations after the publication of a report showed that a single Hong Kong donor is funding an influential China studies institute under King's College London, a top British school.

Nonprofit research organization U.K.-China Transparency, which focuses on ties between the two countries, published in late-July a report showing that 99.9% of the funding -- more than 10 million pounds ($13.2 million) -- into King's Lau China Institute was donated by Lau Ming-wai, son of Hong Kong tycoon Joseph Lau and chair of property investor Chinese Estates Holdings.