Latest news with #superembassy
CNN
2 days ago
- Business
- CNN
China's ‘super-embassy' plans in the heart of London anger locals who fear for their safety
Asia China UKFacebookTweetLink Follow It's a quiet, unassuming road that lies a stone's throw away from some of London's most celebrated landmarks. But residents of Cartwright Street could soon be looking out of their windows to the balconies of Chinese embassy staff, if plans to build a new 'super-embassy' in the area go ahead. China is pushing forward with designs for its new diplomatic outpost at Royal Mint Court, a large plot in the heart of London, near Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. The imposing building, which currently lies empty, was once home to the facility that manufactured Britain's coinage. If the proposal goes ahead, China will invest several hundreds of million dollars into the building's transformation, remaking it as the largest embassy in Europe. China bought the historic parcel of land in 2018, for around $312 million. The plans have raised espionage fears, rattled locals in the area nervous for their personal security, and come at a time when bounties have been issued by Beijing for Hong Kongers in the UK. The UK has been a popular destination for many migrating from the former British colony, now a semi-autonomous Chinese city, where Beijing has cracked down hard on dissent over the past five years. Barry, an insurance broker who did not provide CNN with a surname and works in the Royal Mint Court area, compared the Chinese takeover of the site to the UK government selling off the crown jewels. 'The building is such a UK monument… it was the Royal Mint. So to give that to a foreign government, especially the Chinese with everything that's happening with the Chinese at the moment, is a bit of a joke,' he told CNN. 'Our office is just facing it, and we are one unit in a block of maybe 2,000 employees who work there, and I've not heard anybody say one good thing about it.' After much government wrangling, Angela Rayner, the UK's deputy prime minister and housing secretary, is expected to make a final decision on whether to green light the controversial plans by September 9. In a twist last week, Rayner gave China two weeks to explain why parts of the blueprint it provided for the sprawling embassy site have been blacked out. The letter, seen by Britain's PA Media news agency, sets a deadline of August 20 for Beijing to give its reasoning for the redacted information. CNN has reached out to China's embassy in London for comment. Beijing's previous application for the embassy was initially rejected by the local Tower Hamlets council in 2022 on security grounds. Beijing resubmitted the application last year just weeks after Labour returned to power in the UK, in the hopes that the new government led by Keir Starmer would be more receptive to the request. The empty Royal Mint Court had been due for redevelopment into a complex with shops, offices and a leisure center before it was bought by China. Since then, some 100 homes in the area have been classified as being on Chinese-owned land. If the embassy plans go ahead, these properties will remain on Chinese land, although they will not fall under the embassy's territory. Locals in an apartment block on western Cartwright Street could also find themselves residing adjacent to the embassy staff's living quarters. Balconies to be purposely built for diplomatic staff would be visible from the block's rear windows, CNN understands. The Royal Mint Court Residents' Association, which represents around 300 people living in nearby buildings and has engaged in a years-long battle against the plan, say they are fearful of how China could exercise its powers as landlord once the embassy is built next door. The association's treasurer, Mark Nygate, 64, lives on the estate just meters from the site. The parking lot of the block is separated from the proposed embassy site by a simple wooden fence, in what Nygate refers to as a 'soft border.' Speaking to CNN, Nygate raised concerns their Chinese landlords could carry out random searches of the properties, or residents could face accusations of spying. He explained, 'I like to take photos. I've got an allotment, and I take photos of that, but the allotment actually runs along the border.' Nygate continued, 'So quite easily you could be taking a photo of something and they're going to think you're spying. 'Because they own our land, they are our landlords and therefore they have certain rights to get in (the properties). If they find something they're not happy with, you can be damn sure they're going to come and check us out.' London's Metropolitan Police has also voiced concern over any mass demonstrations at the embassy, warning that they could impede traffic and spill over into the roads, impacting tourist areas. Meanwhile, protesters and rights groups fear that the new embassy building could facilitate espionage and Beijing's 'long-arm' law enforcement, putting opponents of the Chinese government in the UK at risk. One resident who lives near the embassy site told CNN the plans should not be allowed to go ahead. 'It's too close to Tower Bridge,' said the man, who declined to give his name. He also cited concerns over disappearances in Hong Kong. China has previously been accused of using its outposts, in effect, as overseas police stations to monitor Chinese citizens abroad and coerce them to return home. One such incident occurred in the UK in October 2022, when a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester was dragged into the grounds of a Chinese consulate in Manchester and beaten, in events captured on camera. Subsequently, China removed six diplomats from Britain who police wanted to question in connection with the alleged beating. But others with key stakes in the Royal Mint area have dismissed the espionage and bounty fears as 'scaremongering.' Mark Lahiff, a local property developer who serves as managing director of the UK's subsidiary of Malaysian-based IJM, spoke in favor of the embassy's establishment at a government hearing in London in February. 'This borough, Tower Hamlets, is one of the most impoverished boroughs in the UK,' Lahiff, whose projects with IJM include the Royal Mint Gardens aparthotel, told CNN. 'For the People's Republic of China to invest into this borough is a huge investment. That site in particular has been empty since 2008.' He continued, 'It's a listed site in a strategic part of London, next to the Tower of London. We've been looking at it rotting away for decades, so to bring some life and vitality into this area, and the socio-economic benefits, are huge for the borough.' But Nygate rejects the notion that Chinese investment would be advantageous for the area, saying that redevelopment would come at the expense of the residents living there currently. 'I've been against the embassy from the start,' he said. 'It's all about prestige in the end because they (the Chinese) want to outdo the American embassy.'
CNN
2 days ago
- Business
- CNN
China's ‘super-embassy' plans in the heart of London anger locals who fear for their safety
It's a quiet, unassuming road that lies a stone's throw away from some of London's most celebrated landmarks. But residents of Cartwright Street could soon be looking out of their windows to the balconies of Chinese embassy staff, if plans to build a new 'super-embassy' in the area go ahead. China is pushing forward with designs for its new diplomatic outpost at Royal Mint Court, a large plot in the heart of London, near Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. The imposing building, which currently lies empty, was once home to the facility that manufactured Britain's coinage. If the proposal goes ahead, China will invest several hundreds of million dollars into the building's transformation, remaking it as the largest embassy in Europe. China bought the historic parcel of land in 2018, for around $312 million. The plans have raised espionage fears, rattled locals in the area nervous for their personal security, and come at a time when bounties have been issued by Beijing for Hong Kongers in the UK. The UK has been a popular destination for many migrating from the former British colony, now a semi-autonomous Chinese city, where Beijing has cracked down hard on dissent over the past five years. Barry, an insurance broker who did not provide CNN with a surname and works in the Royal Mint Court area, compared the Chinese takeover of the site to the UK government selling off the crown jewels. 'The building is such a UK monument… it was the Royal Mint. So to give that to a foreign government, especially the Chinese with everything that's happening with the Chinese at the moment, is a bit of a joke,' he told CNN. 'Our office is just facing it, and we are one unit in a block of maybe 2,000 employees who work there, and I've not heard anybody say one good thing about it.' After much government wrangling, Angela Rayner, the UK's deputy prime minister and housing secretary, is expected to make a final decision on whether to green light the controversial plans by September 9. In a twist last week, Rayner gave China two weeks to explain why parts of the blueprint it provided for the sprawling embassy site have been blacked out. The letter, seen by Britain's PA Media news agency, sets a deadline of August 20 for Beijing to give its reasoning for the redacted information. CNN has reached out to China's embassy in London for comment. Beijing's previous application for the embassy was initially rejected by the local Tower Hamlets council in 2022 on security grounds. Beijing resubmitted the application last year just weeks after Labour returned to power in the UK, in the hopes that the new government led by Keir Starmer would be more receptive to the request. The empty Royal Mint Court had been due for redevelopment into a complex with shops, offices and a leisure center before it was bought by China. Since then, some 100 homes in the area have been classified as being on Chinese-owned land. If the embassy plans go ahead, these properties will remain on Chinese land, although they will not fall under the embassy's territory. Locals in an apartment block on western Cartwright Street could also find themselves residing adjacent to the embassy staff's living quarters. Balconies to be purposely built for diplomatic staff would be visible from the block's rear windows, CNN understands. The Royal Mint Court Residents' Association, which represents around 300 people living in nearby buildings and has engaged in a years-long battle against the plan, say they are fearful of how China could exercise its powers as landlord once the embassy is built next door. The association's treasurer, Mark Nygate, 64, lives on the estate just meters from the site. The parking lot of the block is separated from the proposed embassy site by a simple wooden fence, in what Nygate refers to as a 'soft border.' Speaking to CNN, Nygate raised concerns their Chinese landlords could carry out random searches of the properties, or residents could face accusations of spying. He explained, 'I like to take photos. I've got an allotment, and I take photos of that, but the allotment actually runs along the border.' Nygate continued, 'So quite easily you could be taking a photo of something and they're going to think you're spying. 'Because they own our land, they are our landlords and therefore they have certain rights to get in (the properties). If they find something they're not happy with, you can be damn sure they're going to come and check us out.' London's Metropolitan Police has also voiced concern over any mass demonstrations at the embassy, warning that they could impede traffic and spill over into the roads, impacting tourist areas. Meanwhile, protesters and rights groups fear that the new embassy building could facilitate espionage and Beijing's 'long-arm' law enforcement, putting opponents of the Chinese government in the UK at risk. One resident who lives near the embassy site told CNN the plans should not be allowed to go ahead. 'It's too close to Tower Bridge,' said the man, who declined to give his name. He also cited concerns over disappearances in Hong Kong. China has previously been accused of using its outposts, in effect, as overseas police stations to monitor Chinese citizens abroad and coerce them to return home. One such incident occurred in the UK in October 2022, when a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester was dragged into the grounds of a Chinese consulate in Manchester and beaten, in events captured on camera. Subsequently, China removed six diplomats from Britain who police wanted to question in connection with the alleged beating. But others with key stakes in the Royal Mint area have dismissed the espionage and bounty fears as 'scaremongering.' Mark Lahiff, a local property developer who serves as managing director of the UK's subsidiary of Malaysian-based IJM, spoke in favor of the embassy's establishment at a government hearing in London in February. 'This borough, Tower Hamlets, is one of the most impoverished boroughs in the UK,' Lahiff, whose projects with IJM include the Royal Mint Gardens aparthotel, told CNN. 'For the People's Republic of China to invest into this borough is a huge investment. That site in particular has been empty since 2008.' He continued, 'It's a listed site in a strategic part of London, next to the Tower of London. We've been looking at it rotting away for decades, so to bring some life and vitality into this area, and the socio-economic benefits, are huge for the borough.' But Nygate rejects the notion that Chinese investment would be advantageous for the area, saying that redevelopment would come at the expense of the residents living there currently. 'I've been against the embassy from the start,' he said. 'It's all about prestige in the end because they (the Chinese) want to outdo the American embassy.'
CNN
2 days ago
- Business
- CNN
China's ‘super-embassy' plans in the heart of London anger locals who fear for their safety
It's a quiet, unassuming road that lies a stone's throw away from some of London's most celebrated landmarks. But residents of Cartwright Street could soon be looking out of their windows to the balconies of Chinese embassy staff, if plans to build a new 'super-embassy' in the area go ahead. China is pushing forward with designs for its new diplomatic outpost at Royal Mint Court, a large plot in the heart of London, near Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. The imposing building, which currently lies empty, was once home to the facility that manufactured Britain's coinage. If the proposal goes ahead, China will invest several hundreds of million dollars into the building's transformation, remaking it as the largest embassy in Europe. China bought the historic parcel of land in 2018, for around $312 million. The plans have raised espionage fears, rattled locals in the area nervous for their personal security, and come at a time when bounties have been issued by Beijing for Hong Kongers in the UK. The UK has been a popular destination for many migrating from the former British colony, now a semi-autonomous Chinese city, where Beijing has cracked down hard on dissent over the past five years. Barry, an insurance broker who did not provide CNN with a surname and works in the Royal Mint Court area, compared the Chinese takeover of the site to the UK government selling off the crown jewels. 'The building is such a UK monument… it was the Royal Mint. So to give that to a foreign government, especially the Chinese with everything that's happening with the Chinese at the moment, is a bit of a joke,' he told CNN. 'Our office is just facing it, and we are one unit in a block of maybe 2,000 employees who work there, and I've not heard anybody say one good thing about it.' After much government wrangling, Angela Rayner, the UK's deputy prime minister and housing secretary, is expected to make a final decision on whether to green light the controversial plans by September 9. In a twist last week, Rayner gave China two weeks to explain why parts of the blueprint it provided for the sprawling embassy site have been blacked out. The letter, seen by Britain's PA Media news agency, sets a deadline of August 20 for Beijing to give its reasoning for the redacted information. CNN has reached out to China's embassy in London for comment. Beijing's previous application for the embassy was initially rejected by the local Tower Hamlets council in 2022 on security grounds. Beijing resubmitted the application last year just weeks after Labour returned to power in the UK, in the hopes that the new government led by Keir Starmer would be more receptive to the request. The empty Royal Mint Court had been due for redevelopment into a complex with shops, offices and a leisure center before it was bought by China. Since then, some 100 homes in the area have been classified as being on Chinese-owned land. If the embassy plans go ahead, these properties will remain on Chinese land, although they will not fall under the embassy's territory. Locals in an apartment block on western Cartwright Street could also find themselves residing adjacent to the embassy staff's living quarters. Balconies to be purposely built for diplomatic staff would be visible from the block's rear windows, CNN understands. The Royal Mint Court Residents' Association, which represents around 300 people living in nearby buildings and has engaged in a years-long battle against the plan, say they are fearful of how China could exercise its powers as landlord once the embassy is built next door. The association's treasurer, Mark Nygate, 64, lives on the estate just meters from the site. The parking lot of the block is separated from the proposed embassy site by a simple wooden fence, in what Nygate refers to as a 'soft border.' Speaking to CNN, Nygate raised concerns their Chinese landlords could carry out random searches of the properties, or residents could face accusations of spying. He explained, 'I like to take photos. I've got an allotment, and I take photos of that, but the allotment actually runs along the border.' Nygate continued, 'So quite easily you could be taking a photo of something and they're going to think you're spying. 'Because they own our land, they are our landlords and therefore they have certain rights to get in (the properties). If they find something they're not happy with, you can be damn sure they're going to come and check us out.' London's Metropolitan Police has also voiced concern over any mass demonstrations at the embassy, warning that they could impede traffic and spill over into the roads, impacting tourist areas. Meanwhile, protesters and rights groups fear that the new embassy building could facilitate espionage and Beijing's 'long-arm' law enforcement, putting opponents of the Chinese government in the UK at risk. One resident who lives near the embassy site told CNN the plans should not be allowed to go ahead. 'It's too close to Tower Bridge,' said the man, who declined to give his name. He also cited concerns over disappearances in Hong Kong. China has previously been accused of using its outposts, in effect, as overseas police stations to monitor Chinese citizens abroad and coerce them to return home. One such incident occurred in the UK in October 2022, when a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester was dragged into the grounds of a Chinese consulate in Manchester and beaten, in events captured on camera. Subsequently, China removed six diplomats from Britain who police wanted to question in connection with the alleged beating. But others with key stakes in the Royal Mint area have dismissed the espionage and bounty fears as 'scaremongering.' Mark Lahiff, a local property developer who serves as managing director of the UK's subsidiary of Malaysian-based IJM, spoke in favor of the embassy's establishment at a government hearing in London in February. 'This borough, Tower Hamlets, is one of the most impoverished boroughs in the UK,' Lahiff, whose projects with IJM include the Royal Mint Gardens aparthotel, told CNN. 'For the People's Republic of China to invest into this borough is a huge investment. That site in particular has been empty since 2008.' He continued, 'It's a listed site in a strategic part of London, next to the Tower of London. We've been looking at it rotting away for decades, so to bring some life and vitality into this area, and the socio-economic benefits, are huge for the borough.' But Nygate rejects the notion that Chinese investment would be advantageous for the area, saying that redevelopment would come at the expense of the residents living there currently. 'I've been against the embassy from the start,' he said. 'It's all about prestige in the end because they (the Chinese) want to outdo the American embassy.'
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Why are proposals for China's super-embassy in London so contentious?
Ministers have asked China to explain redacted designs for a 'super-embassy' in London as they prepare for a final decision on the controversial building. What's at stake and why are the proposals so contentious? If the building goes ahead it would be the biggest embassy in Europe, in the heart of the city and near the Tower of London. The 20,000 sq metre (5 acre) site, which was once home to the Royal Mint, was bought by China for £225m in 2018. Beijing commissioned David Chipperfield, one of Britain's most respected architects, to design the new embassy and cultural centre for the site. Dissidents fear it will be used as a centre to spy on, harass and possibly detain opponents of the Chinese government. They point to how in 2022, a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester was dragged into the grounds of the Chinese consulate and then beaten. Local residents are concerned the new embassy will be a magnet for protests and a potential security risk. China hawks and some of Britain's allies, notably the US, warn that it also poses an espionage risk because of its close proximity to London's financial district. In June the White House voiced 'deep concern' about the new embassy and noted its closeness to the London office of several US banks. The Home Office and Foreign Office have asked for the construction of a 'hard perimeter' around the site to address public and safety concerns. The site used to house trading floors that were wired up to other financial institutions. It is also close to the City's telephone exchange. Allowing China to build on the site would be an invitation to espionage, according to the Tory MP Iain Duncan Smith. The Metropolitan police have warned the building would attract protests that would impede traffic and require extra policing. China's initial planning application was rejected by the local Tower Hamlets council in 2022 over safety and security concerns and fears about the impact on tourism. In August 2024, just after Labour came to power, China resubmitted the same application. The application came up in Keir Starmer's first phone call with China's president, Xi Jinping, that same month. In October the housing secretary, Angela Rayner, who has responsibility for planning matters, 'called in' the application, moving it from local to central government to decide on its merits. A decision on the application is due by 9 September. As part of the process Rayner has asked China to un-redact parts of the plans that had been 'greyed out' in the application. The redacted plans submitted include a basement area with rooms of no identifiable use. In a letter to the Chinese embassy, Rayner pointed to the principle that the public should know what is being proposed before planning permission is granted. She also asked for more details on how the embassy planned to address safety concerns. This would require a further consultation, which could delay the final decision. Legally, only planning considerations should influence Rayner's decision. In reality, she has a difficult political and diplomatic balancing act to perform. On one hand, there are concerns about China's record on human rights and its potential threat to national and financial security. On the other, the UK is keen to pursue closer ties with China – not least to encourage Chinese investment in the UK's faltering economy. So far, the Chinese embassy, currently based in London's Portland Place where it has been since the 1870s, has said it has no plans to alter the designs for its new HQ. In a statement to the BBC, it said it was 'committed to promoting understanding and the friendship between the Chinese and British peoples and the development of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. Building the new embassy would help us better perform such responsibilities'. On objections to the plans it said: 'Anti-China forces are using security risks as an excuse to interfere with the British government's consideration over this planning application. This is a despicable move that is unpopular and will not succeed.' While the fate of China's London embassy is being decided, China has blocked a UK request to rebuild its embassy in Beijing.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Angela Rayner calls on China to explain redacted images in super-embassy plans
Angela Rayner has told China to explain why parts of its plans for a new super-embassy in London are redacted. The Deputy Prime Minister, who as Housing Secretary is responsible for overseeing planning matters, has given Beijing two weeks to explain why areas of its plans for the sprawling new embassy site in central London are blacked out. China hawks in Westminster have raised alarm that the embassy site could be used to conduct surveillance from British soil. Pro-democracy campaigners from Hong Kong, as well as Uighurs and Tibetans, meanwhile, fear that intimidation and reprisals from the Chinese state could result from the embassy going ahead. This follows reports that bounties have been issued by China for dissident Hong Kongers now living in the UK. In a letter seen by the PA news agency, Ms Rayner's Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government asks planning consultants representing the Chinese embassy to explain why drawings of the planned site are blacked out. The letter gives two weeks, until August 20, for an explanation to be provided. It also suggests that a final planning decision on the embassy site, at Royal Mint Court, just east of London's financial district, will be made by September 9. Copies of the letter were also sent to the Home Office and the Foreign Office by email. It notes that the Home Office requested a new 'hard perimeter' be placed around the embassy site, to prevent 'unregulated public access', and acknowledges this could require a further planning application. Plans for the super-embassy were previously rejected by Tower Hamlets Council in 2022, with the Chinese opting not to appeal. However, Beijing resubmitted the application a fortnight after Sir Keir Starmer's election victory last year, believing Labour may be more receptive to the application. Since entering office Sir Keir's Government has sought closer links with Beijing after a cooling during the final years of Conservative Party rule. The final decision will be made by Mr Rayner in her role as Housing Secretary. Alicia Kearns, the shadow national security minister, said: 'No surprises here – Labour's rush to appease Xi Jinping's demands for a new embassy demonstrated a complacency when it came to keeping our people safe. Having deluded themselves for so long, they've recognised we were right to be vigilant. 'The disturbing bounty notes urging British citizens to kidnap and deliver their Hong Kong neighbours to the current CCP embassy laid bare the risks – yet the Foreign Secretary didn't even summon the Chinese ambassador in the face of direct threats to those seeking refuge in our country. 'CCP ambitions for a larger embassy would only amplify opportunities for espionage and transnational repression.'
