UK Approves Massive Chinese Embassy in London
The UK government has given the green light for China to build a huge new embassy in central London, ending years of delays and controversy over a project that has repeatedly raised alarms about security, spying and intimidation.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed signed off on the plans “with conditions,” allowing construction to go ahead at Royal Mint Court, near the Tower of London and close to the City’s financial district. The site, bought by China in 2018, will host what is set to become Beijing’s largest embassy in Europe.
The decision closes a long-running dispute that unfolded against a backdrop of strained UK-China relations, worsened in recent years by the Covid-19 pandemic, China’s ties with Russia, and repeated accusations of espionage and cyberattacks — claims Beijing rejects. It also reflects a shift under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has made repairing ties with China a priority since taking office in 2024.
Starmer has already met President Xi Jinping at the G20 and is expected to travel to China later this month. British officials say approval of the London embassy should also unlock long-stalled plans to upgrade the UK’s much smaller diplomatic mission in Beijing.
Still, the move has triggered fierce criticism at home. Human rights groups, Chinese dissidents living in Britain and lawmakers from both major parties argue the embassy could be used to monitor and intimidate exiles, particularly Hong Kong activists. Others warn about its location, saying it sits above sensitive fiber-optic cables carrying financial and personal data across London.
Those concerns were voiced again in Parliament this week. Labour MP Sarah Champion described the project as “disastrous,” adding: “This is not a risk we can afford to take.” Fellow Labour MP Alex Sobel warned that “once Pandora’s box is open, it cannot be put back.” Conservative shadow national security minister Alicia Kearns went further, arguing the embassy would give Beijing “a launchpad for economic warfare.”
Reports published shortly before the approval added fuel to the debate, claiming the design includes more than 200 underground rooms, some allegedly close to key data cables. The Chinese government has dismissed accusations of spying as politically motivated, previously calling such claims “malicious slander.”
Despite the backlash, UK security officials have played down the risks. MI5 did not lodge a formal objection to the plans, and senior figures have suggested that concentrating China’s diplomatic operations in one location could actually make surveillance easier. Former MI6 chief Richard Moore has said a compromise allowing the embassy while resolving issues around Britain’s presence in Beijing made sense.
Economics also loom large. Britain has been keen to avoid further damage to trade ties with China, even as exports there have fallen sharply. Xi reportedly raised the embassy issue directly with Starmer early on, and Beijing warned there would be consequences if approval was refused.
For now, the government is betting that tighter oversight and diplomatic balance can manage the risks. But with construction set to begin, the debate over how close Britain should stand to China — and at what cost — is far from over.
