China's plan for biggest European embassy in UK raises fears over security, surveillance
China bought the historic Royal Mint Court site in 2018 for £255 million and hopes to build its biggest embassy in Europe there. The proposed compound, near the Tower of London and opposite the City's financial centre, would include housing for 200 staff, a cultural centre and other undisclosed facilities.
Speaking to the BBC, Carmen Lau, a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist who fled to the UK in 2021, said: 'I've never been this close to the site. It makes me very uncomfortable. The UK should not allow the Chinese government to have such a building here.'
Lau said she was followed and harassed in Hong Kong and fears that activists could be targeted or even detained if the embassy is built. She added, 'You know the tactics of the regime. My friends and colleagues were arrested. Even in the UK, I feel I've been targeted.'
In recent years, Lau received arrest warrants from Hong Kong authorities and letters offering a reward for information about her. These letters were also sent to her neighbours in the UK.
Local residents have also raised concerns. Mark Nygate, who lives next to the proposed site, told the BBC: 'We don't want the embassy here because of demonstrations, security risks and threats to our privacy.'
Security experts have pointed to the site's location and past use as reasons for concern. Royal Mint Court used to house Barclays Bank's trading floor and is close to a major fibre optic cable network under the Thames. These cables serve financial firms in the City of London.
Professor Periklis Petropoulos, an expert in optoelectronics, said access to a nearby telephone exchange could allow data to be intercepted. A former US security official told the BBC, 'Anything up to half a mile from the embassy could be vulnerable.'
However, the Chinese embassy in London told the BBC it 'is committed to promoting understanding and friendship' and that building a new embassy 'would help us better perform such responsibilities'. It said claims of security threats were being used as an excuse to block the application.
The UK government rejected the embassy plan in 2022 after safety concerns were raised by Tower Hamlets Council. China later resubmitted the same application in August 2024, shortly after the Labour government came to power. Prime Minister Keir Starmer reportedly discussed the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has now taken control of the decision. Foreign Secretary David Lammy and other ministers have expressed support for the project if some adjustments are made.
Some experts say one centralised embassy could make Chinese operations easier to monitor. Prof Steve Tsang from the SOAS China Institute told the BBC, 'It's better if they're all in one place. Right now, their staff are spread across London.'
Still, others like MP Iain Duncan Smith believe approving the embassy would be a mistake. 'They're hoping China will invest more. But the risks are too serious,' he said.
Rayner's decision may depend on how much weight she gives to the potential threat of surveillance and interference.
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