THE UK government on Tuesday approved plans for China to build a “mega-embassy” in central London, eight years after Beijing bought the site. The decision has led to criticism from residents and rights groups.
The 20,000-square-metre (235,000-square-foot) site would become the largest embassy complex in the UK by area and one of the largest located in the centre of a Western capital.
The project could still face legal challenges. Residents opposing the plan said on Tuesday they would take further action.
Housing minister Steve Reed granted planning permission after several delays linked to national security concerns.
Activists have also protested against the plans, saying the site could be used to spy on and harass dissidents.
Reed said the decision was final unless it was successfully challenged in court.
A government spokesperson said intelligence agencies had helped develop a “range of measures... 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,” the spokesperson said.
Security minister Dan Jarvis said China would continue to pose national security threats.
But he said after “detailed consideration of all possible risks around this new embassy... I am assured that the UK's national security is protected”.
Several MPs, local residents and campaigners criticised the decision.
The move “means more interference, more influence operations and more intimidations of people like me”, said activist Chloe Chueng from the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation.
Mark Nygate, treasurer of the Royal Mint Court Residents Association, told a press conference: “We have to study the decision but we think there are a number of grounds for review which we will develop.”
“This is a terrible decision that ignores the appalling brutality of the Chinese Communist Party,” said Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith, referring to allegations of forced labour and cyberattacks.
‘Really afraid’
The right-wing Daily Telegraph reported last week that it had obtained unredacted plans showing the site would include 208 underground rooms, including a “hidden chamber”.
The newspaper said China planned to demolish and rebuild a wall between the embassy and sensitive underground internet cables.
The embassy project has also become an issue in relations between the two countries.
China has expressed frustration over the delays and raised the matter with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Media reports say the Labour leader, who has said he wants to reset ties with China, is expected to visit the country later this month.
Starmer’s office has not confirmed the trip, which would be the first by a UK prime minister since 2018.
Relations between the two countries worsened under the previous Conservative government, which was voted out in 2024.
While approval of the embassy could help improve ties, concerns over alleged Chinese espionage in Britain and the situation in Hong Kong remain.
Last month, Starmer said that while China offered economic opportunities for the UK, it also posed “real national security threats”.
Protests against the embassy plans have taken place in London, including a demonstration at the proposed site over the weekend.
A protester who identified himself only as Brandon, saying he feared reprisals, told AFP on Saturday that the plans raised “a lot of concerns”.
“I don't think it's good for anyone except the Chinese government,” said the 23-year-old bank employee, who moved to Britain from Hong Kong.
(With inputs from agencies)
