Britain grants permission for new mega Chinese embassy in London
by Paul Godfrey · UPIJan. 20 (UPI) -- The British government on Tuesday greenlit plans for a 215,000-square-foot Chinese "super embassy" in central London, following a seven-year delay. However, the project could face years more delay after residents vowed legal action to prevent possible evictions.
Communities Secretary Steve Reed's decision came despite worries about the threat the embassy might pose to national security and Chinese dissidents who have been granted asylum in Britain after the security services said the risks were manageable.
The facility, close to the City of London, the financial district of the capital, and in particular its proximity to critical underground fiber-optic networks, would, opponents argued, be a hub for Chinese espionage and surveillance operations and targeting of people fleeing political persecution.
Local people also oppose the project, combining seven sites dotted around London in a single location, due to concerns about protests and traffic disruption due to a lack of space outside, while activists pointed to human rights issues in Hong Kong and Xinjiang province.
Reed said that after consulting with both the domestic and foreign intelligence branches, the Home Office and Foreign Office had no security worries related to the former Royal Mint site near the financial district that were cause to reject the Chinese planning permit.
"No bodies with responsibility for national security, including the Home Office and Foreign Office, have raised concerns or objected to the proposal on the basis of the proximity of the cables or other underground infrastructure," said Reed, adding that the owners of the cables had also raised no issues.
A government spokesperson stressed that countries establishing embassies in the capitals of other countries was "a normal part of international relations."
Royal Mint Court residents' association vowed to seek a judicial review of the approval of planning permission.
"The residents are determined to keep fighting today's decision," said Mark Nygate, the group's treasurer.
Reed dismissed the threat of a legal challenge from residents in or near the complex, saying the decision was final and that "ethical or similar objections to the provision of an embassy for a specific country" could not be material in determining whether to approve a planning permit.
He said national security was the responsibility of the intelligence agencies and that it could not, and should not, be left to the planning system to deal with.
However, he conceded the decision could be derailed were a legal challenge to succeed in court.
The move comes ahead of an expected visit to Beijing by Prime Minister Keir Starmer this month or in February, the first by any British leader since 2018 after ties took a sharp downward turn over a new national security law in Hong Kong, Britain's former colony.
The embassy decision was roundly condemned by the opposition Conservative Party -- despite granting the initial diplomatic-level approval when it was in power in 2018 -- as well as the Liberal Democrats and Reform U.K.
Shadow communities secretary James Cleverly called it "a disgraceful act of cowardice from a Labour government and prime minister utterly devoid of backbone".
"The first duty of any government is to keep the country safe. But Keir Starmer has relegated that most critical priority beneath his desperate desire for Beijing's approval," he says.
Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel accused Starmer of selling off national security to the Chinese Communist Party "with his shameful super embassy surrender."
"Throughout his dismal premiership to date, the PM has kowtowed to Beijing at every opportunity, including over Chagos. And now, once again, he is giving [Chinese President] Xi Jinping what he wants -- a colossal spy hub in the heart of our capital," she said.
Reform U.K. said it was a "desperate attempt by the Labour government to cosy up to the Chinese Communist Party" and that an embassy so close to some of the country's most sensitive communications cables posed a grave national security risk.
The new embassy, which would be China's largest anywhere, has living accommodation for 200 staff, offices and significant underground space. The site, which contains "listed" [protected] buildings and a residential block, was purchased by the Chinese government for $339 million in 2018.
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