Trump official raise alarm over China’s London super-embassy plans | UK | News
The White House said it was “deeply concerned” by Labor’s intention to open a major new Chinese embassy in London amid warnings it could pose a national security risk.
senior names Donald TrumpChina has raised fears that Beijing could exploit Britain’s critical infrastructure after unedited plans revealed a complex of underground chambers beneath the site of the former Royal Mint, The Telegraph reported.
Drawings published by The Telegraph on Tuesday show 208 chambers underground, including a large underground chamber 40 meters wide and several meters deep. The structure is located next to fibre-optic cables carrying sensitive data between the City of London and Canary Wharf, raising concerns about surveillance and espionage.
Despite these risks, Sir Keir Starmer is expected to approve the embassy before the January 20 deadline.
MPs urge Starmer to block plans
Labor supporters warned the Prime Minister on Tuesday against approving the project, arguing China should not be rewarded for what they described as “bullying”.
Planning minister Matthew Pennycook also refused to confirm whether ministers had seen the unedited drawings before they were made public.
The Daily Mail reported that Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “It is disgraceful that our Prime Minister plans to cowardly bow to China to persuade it to bail itself out of the economic mess he and Rachel Reeves have created.
“He’s endangering our national security by behaving like Beijing’s poodle. Dancing [Chinese president] Xi Jinping’s melody Keir Starmer acts like an extremely useful idiot.”
US warns Britain is losing influence
The underground chamber has hot air extraction systems, which analysts say could indicate the use of heat-intensive equipment, such as high-powered computers.
The plans also suggest China intends to rebuild the outer basement wall, raising concerns it could allow access to nearby data cables.
The possibility of Beijing accessing US communications has raised alarm in Washington and raised fears of a widening rift between Britain and the US over security and freedom of expression.
“The United States remains deeply concerned about adversaries exploiting the critical infrastructure of our closest allies,” a senior Trump administration official told The Telegraph.
Sir Keir is expected to sign off on the project ahead of his visit to China, where he is scheduled to meet President Xi Jinping later this month.
According to the report, a US government source said Britain could weaken its position by approving the plans before negotiations begin.
“In a world where influence with China matters, the UK is giving up all influence in the hope of a trade deal,” they said.
Another source claimed State Department officials “underestimated” the risk posed by the embassy’s proximity to sensitive cables.
US fears data security
John Moolenaar, chairman of the US House select committee on China, said he opposed this development and warned that American data could be “at risk”.
“The CCP is a threat to the United Kingdom, its Five Eyes intelligence partner, and to free people everywhere,” he said.
The proposed embassy will occupy an area of 22,000 square meters near the Tower of London, making it the largest Chinese diplomatic site in Europe.
Other elements hidden in the original plans included emergency generators, sprinkler systems, elevator shafts and communications cables.
Bathroom and shower facilities were also closed, raising questions about whether staff could stay underground for long periods of time.
Ministers put pressure on plans that remain unchanged
In the House of Commons, Mr Pennycook again refused to say whether ministers had seen the unredacted drawings before they were published.
Responding to a question from Shadow Home Secretary Alicia Kearns, he said he would not speculate and insisted the Secretary of State was “transparently seeking further information”.
In August, then-Housing Minister Angela Rayner ordered Chinese officials to explain why the basement floor plans of the “mega embassy” had been corrected. It remains unclear whether any unredacted documents have been formally presented to ministers.
Sir Keir now faces a potential rebellion from Labor MPs who have warned the project “should not be allowed to go ahead”.
Reports suggest that Chinese authorities are putting pressure on the British Embassy in Beijing by cutting off water supplies and allowing the building to deteriorate.
Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle and opposition MPs also criticized the Government for not sending the Security Secretary to answer questions in Parliament.
