UK approves plans for Chinese mega-embassy in London

Britain has approved China’s plans to open a major new embassy in central London, despite warnings from opponents that it could be used as a base for espionage and pose security risks.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said intelligence agencies were “integral” to the process and were “satisfied that any risks were managed appropriately”.

The decision, which has been repeatedly delayed, has presented a challenge for the government as it tries to balance its desire for closer ties with Beijing with warnings about the threat posed by China.

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to visit Beijing earlier this year, becoming the first British prime minister to do so since 2018.

In a letter, the housing department confirmed that Housing Minister Steve Reed, who is responsible for planning policy, had allowed the development to go ahead subject to certain conditions.

The facility at the Royal Mint Court is close to the City of London and fiber optic cables carrying vast amounts of highly sensitive data, raising concerns they could be used by China to infiltrate the UK’s financial system.

However, in its decision letter, the ministry said there was no suggestion that the use of the site as an embassy would interfere with the cables.

He added that no bodies responsible for national security, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had expressed concerns or objected to the proposal due to the proximity of the cables.

Jarvis told MPs the government had “taken action to improve the resilience of cables in the region through a range of comprehensive measures to protect sensitive data”.

The minister argued that this development brings “clear national security advantages” by consolidating China’s diplomatic facilities in seven regions in one place.

In a joint letter to the Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary about the embassy plans, MI5 director-general Sir Ken McCallum and GCHQ director Anne Keast-Butler said it was “unrealistic to expect to completely eliminate every potential risk”.

But they added that a “proportionate” package of national security measures had been developed for the site.

Conditions on the planning approval include development starting within three years and the establishment of a steering group of local bodies to manage protests outside the site.

Opposition parties and some Labor MPs had called for the project to be blocked. Local people also oppose the plans and are planning a legal fight.

Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said: “Keir Starmer has sold out our national security to the Chinese Communist Party by handing over his disgraceful super ambassadorship.”

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller said the decision would “strengthen China’s surveillance efforts in the UK and jeopardize the security of our data – not to mention the safety of brave Hongkongers on British soil.”

He added that it was “categorically wrong” for the Prime Minister to “embrace these threats to further his flirtation with China”.

Reform UK said the decision was a “serious threat to national security” and “a desperate attempt by the Labor government to warm up to the Chinese Communist Party”.

Embassies serve as the headquarters of a country’s representatives abroad.

Downing Street said they were the “first line of communication” between nations and that “those who do not accept this basic premise are either naive or recklessly isolationist”.

China’s proposed new London embassy would be the largest of its kind in Europe, with an area of ​​20,000 square metres.

Approval of the site has long been a priority for the Chinese government, which bought it for £255 million in 2018.

The plans were first rejected by Tower Hamlets Council in 2022 over safety concerns, but the government overtook the decision when China resubmitted its application in 2024.

Meanwhile, Britain is waiting for its £100m plan to redevelop the British embassy in Beijing to be approved by Chinese authorities.

Rejecting China’s plans would risk a decline in diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Since coming to power, Labor has sought to establish closer trade relations with China; Chancellor Rachel Reeves was among many senior government officials to visit the country.

But critics have argued that the Chinese state’s threat of espionage and intimidation of dissidents abroad are reasons for a more cautious relationship.