UK expected to approve mega Chinese embassy in London despite objections

Britain’s Government is expected to approve a “mega” Chinese embassy close to London’s financial district after years of controversy and political wrangling over the potential security risks it poses to the UK. Lawmakers from across the spectrum have urged planning officials to reject China’s application for the new embassy. Critics fear the proposed new building, on a huge site close to London’s financial district and crucial data cables, will be used as a base for espionage.

Others say the supersized embassy — set to be the biggest in Europe — will pose a heightened threat of surveillance and intimidation to Chinese dissidents in exile. The decision was initially slated for October, but it was repeatedly postponed after multiple allegations of Chinese spying and political interference piled pressure on the British Government. British media have reported that the decision to approve the embassy will come this week, ahead of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s expected trip to China. The closely watched visit would be the first made by a British prime minister since 2018.

A final decision on the embassy is expected by Jan. 20, the deadline set by the Government. Here’s a look at why the embassy has been the focus of protests and Sino-British tensions for years: Close to sensitive infrastructure, potential for protests. The proposed embassy at Royal Mint Court — the former site of the UK’s coin maker, near the Tower of London — will replace several Chinese official buildings across London Critics say the new site sits too close to underground fiber optic cables carrying sensitive financial information between London’s two main financial districts.

Conservative Party lawmaker Alicia Kearns said that risks handing over access to data that would give China’s Government “a launchpad for economic warfare against our nation.” Dissidents have also been among hundreds of people who have protested the plans, saying a mega-embassy housing large numbers of officials would further China’s repression of activists abroad.

A group of opposition Labour lawmakers say concerns include “the recent track record of Chinese espionage cases, interference activities and issuing of bounties against UK-based Hong Kongers.” The site was bought by China’s Government for 225 million pounds ($301 million) in 2018, but plans for the embassy have been delayed since. Local officials rejected the initial application over concerns that the embassy would attract many large protests, affecting the safety of residents and tourists. China resubmitted its proposals after the current Labour Government took power last year.

China’s warnings

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China has complained about the seven-year delay in approving the project, saying the UK was “constantly complicating and politicizing the matter.” “The development scheme of the new Chinese Embassy is of high quality and has been highly recognized by local professional bodies,” the Chinese embassy said in a statement in October. “The application complies with diplomatic practice and local regulations and procedures.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian has warned that if the embassy isn’t approved, “the consequences arising therefrom shall be borne by the UK side.”

Recent high-profile cases involving alleged Chinese espionage have raised alarms about the embassy. In November, the domestic intelligence agency, MI5, issued an alert to lawmakers warning that Chinese agents were making “targeted and widespread” efforts to recruit and cultivate them using LinkedIn or cover companies.

Authorities believe the alleged “headhunters” were trying to gain access to sensitive information about Parliament and Britain’s Government. Beijing has strongly denied the claims, calling them “pure fabrication and malicious slander.” Earlier, Britain’s Government faced questions on whether it had interfered in the trial of two alleged Chinese spies in order to preserve good ties with China.

Former parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash and academic Christopher Berry were charged last year with spying for Beijing. But their trial collapsed at the last minute because the UK Government refused to brand China a threat to national security, the country’s chief prosecutor said.

Starmer has insisted on engagement

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Facing criticism that he is not taking a tough enough stance on the security risks, Starmer has stressed that while protecting national security is non-negotiable, Britain needs to keep up diplomatic dialogue and cooperation with the Asian superpower. “This is not a question of balancing economic and security considerations. We don’t trade off security in one area, for a bit more economic access somewhere else,” he has said.

Last year, Starmer said Chinese President Xi Jinping personally raised the matter during a phone call. Opposition lawmaker Priti Patel derided Starmer as “Beijing’s useful idiot in Britain.” “Starmer’s reset’ with Beijing is a naive one-way street, which puts Britain at risk while Beijing gets everything it wants,” she said.