UK government approves Chinese ‘mega embassy’ in London | London
The UK government has approved the construction of a major new Chinese embassy complex in east London, despite security concerns and its impact on political exiles in the capital.
The decision puts an end, at least for now, to the saga that has been going on since 2018 at the Royal Mint Court near Tower Bridge.
But residents of Royal Mint Court plan to launch a legal challenge to the decision within weeks, amid concerns they could be forced out of their homes, delaying the project for months or years.
MPs from across the political spectrum voiced their opposition to the practice; But security services said they could deal with espionage risks from the expanded site, which is located near data cables to the City of London.
British intelligence agencies will not allow the construction of a new ‘mega embassy’ if it poses unmanageable risks, Ciaran Martin, the former head of GCHQ’s national cyber security centre, said on Sunday.
Although officials say there was no political input into the planning process, the green light is likely to thaw relations ahead of Keir Starmer’s visit to China, expected at the end of January.
Beijing has made the embassy a priority in UK-China relations. China’s leader Xi Jinping raised the issue directly with the prime minister in his first phone call in August 2024.
Britain’s plans to redevelop its own outpost in China’s capital have been blocked for years by Xi’s government over the London embassy row.
