After nearly 8 years of talks, the UK has finally approved China’s ambitious plan to build a “super embassy” in the heart of London, despite intense resistance from locals and rights groups.
The 20,000-square-metre site is set to become the largest embassy complex in the UK, and one of the largest embassies in Europe.
Housing minister Steve Reed’s decision on Tuesday to grant planning permission came after multiple delays over national security concerns. Reed said the decision was “now final unless it is successfully challenged in court”.
A government spokesperson said: “Intelligence agencies have been involved throughout the process and an extensive range of measures have been developed to manage any risks.”
“Following extensive negotiations in recent months, the Chinese government has agreed to consolidate its seven current sites in London into one site, bringing clear security advantages.”
MPs, residents, and campaigners who have opposed the plans were quick to condemn the approval and were to host a press conference later on Tuesday to address concerns.
“This is a terrible decision that ignores the appalling brutality of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),” said Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith.
“It practices forced labour at home and spies on the UK and uses cyber attacks to damage our internal security.”
“The residents are determined to keep fighting today’s decision,” said Mark Nygate from the Royal Mint Court Residents’ Association, which has said it intends to challenge the decision.
Starmer, who is seeking to reset ties with China, is expected to visit Beijing later this month, according to British media. Downing Street has not yet confirmed the trip.
If it goes ahead, it would be the first visit by a UK prime minister since 2018.
China’s Super Embassy
The contentious “super embassy” plans were first rejected by local authorities in 2022. After Labour’s general election victory last year, Beijing resubmitted the application with no meaningful alterations—and in December 2024, Tower Hamlets Council rejected it once again.
The “super embassy” project aroused suspicion across the board for various reasons. While it includes a cultural centre and accommodation for around 200 staff, the submitted plans show basement rooms hidden behind security doors labelled “redacted for security reasons,” with no explanation of their purpose.
China is expected to invest hundreds of millions to recondition the facility and turn it into the largest embassy in Europe, which is already under surveillance and patrolled by Chinese guards.
As per a BBC News report, a studio-clicked photo of a woman along with a £95,000 bounty was found pasted outside the structure that will become home to the Chinese super embassy.
“Provide information on this wanted person and the related crime or take her to the Chinese embassy,” the poster reads.
The “wanted person,” Carmen Lau, is a former Hong Kong resident who fled Hong Kong in 2021 as pro-democracy activists in the territory were being arrested.
International rights organizations have been urging London to reject the plan because they are concerned about a rise in Chinese espionage and infiltration efforts against Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Hong Kong residents.
The planned embassy “would serve as a hub for China’s authoritarian agenda, targeting dissidents, monitoring communities, and undermining democratic values on British soil,” the Free Tibet group said in a post on X earlier this year.
The biggest concern about the super embassy is its potential for spying. The residents have been protesting the Chinese ‘super embassy’ plans, saying that it could lead to security risks and spying attempts.
China has been accused of spying by several countries across the world, particularly in the West. In fact, the relationship between the UK and China deteriorated during the Conservative government due to suspicions of Chinese spying and meddling in the country’s internal affairs.
In October 2023, British MI5 cautioned that more than 20,000 people in the UK had been approached covertly online by Chinese “spies”. It warned that tens of thousands of British businesses were at risk of having their innovation stolen.
The British intelligence agency, MI5, had also cautioned that the new embassy building would be extremely close to crucial communication cables, which could be compromised or attacked by Chinese agents.
Additionally, London’s Metropolitan Police stated that if the project goes ahead, it will lead to protests and divert troops from national security duties.
The head of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, Luke de Pulford, previously said the government would face an “embarrassing and potentially catastrophic” legal challenge from residents if the plans were approved.
“Policing this proposed Embassy would require officers to be taken away from frontline duties to fulfill the requirement of policing spontaneous and known protests at this location,” Jon Savell, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Special Operations, said in a letter dated November 14 last year.
However, China has dismissed these “suspicions” as a smear campaign launched by the British media.
- By ET Online Desk with AFP Inputs
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