China threatens UK with ‘consequences’ over delayed London mega embassy | China

Tensions between Britain and China escalated after Beijing criticized further delays in planning decisions on a proposed “mega embassy” in London.

China’s foreign ministry expressed “serious concern and strong dissatisfaction” after housing minister Steve Reed postponed a final decision on the proposal until December 10.

The row further complicates Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s attempts to restart relations with Beijing, which have already been damaged by allegations of Chinese spying in the UK.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference in Beijing on Friday that Britain “disregarded the spirit of the contract and acted in bad faith and dishonestly”.

He said China had acted with “extreme sincerity and patience” and that Britain “must immediately fulfill its obligations and honor its commitments, otherwise the British side will suffer all the consequences.”

Starmer is keen to improve relations with Beijing as he seeks foreign investment to help build major infrastructure projects in the UK.

But these attempts faced many obstacles, including two disputes over espionage and the embassy.

Beijing bought the future embassy site near the Tower of London for £255 million in 2018. Tower Hamlets council refused to give permission for the project in 2022, sparking debate over whether the project could go ahead.

Angela Rayner took over the decision last year as housing secretary, but was replaced by Reed days before the decision’s Sept. 9 deadline. This deadline was postponed to October 21 after China adjusted much of its plans for security reasons.

Downing Street this week said the decision had been delayed again amid a separate row over two British nationals accused of spying for China.

The case against duo Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry collapsed last month, leading to accusations that the government was intervening to preserve diplomatic ties with Beijing.

Meanwhile, reports suggest Beijing has been accessing classified material on British servers for several years and has renewed concerns that it could use the new embassy to bolster surveillance efforts.

Labor MP Matt Western, who chairs the joint committee on national security, wrote to the government on Monday warning that approving the embassy was “not in the long-term interests of the UK”.

Western said the proposed location posed “peacetime eavesdropping risks and crisis sabotage risks” due to its proximity to fibre-optic cables, data centers and telecommunications exchanges serving Canary Wharf and the City.

Downing Street said the new delay in the embassy planning decision was not due to political concerns but instead reflected the complexity of the application.

A spokesman said on Thursday: “Given the detailed nature of the representations provided and the need to give parties adequate opportunity to respond, the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government considers that more time is needed to fully consider the applications.”