UK approves ‘mega’ Chinese Embassy in London despite criticism of security...

Key Highlights

• But the government said it had worked “with policing, and other relevant partners, to ensure that the breadth of national security issues associated with this planning application have been considered and addressed”.
• Plans for the embassy have been plagued by objections and protests since 2018, when China’s government bought the site at Royal Mint Court, near the Tower of London, for 225 million pounds ($301 million.) Opponents say the huge site sits too close to underground fiber optic cables carrying sensitive financial information between London’s two main financial districts.
• British media have reported that the 20,000 square metre (215,278 square feet) complex would include 208 secret basement rooms close to the data cables.
• Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has repeatedly postponed its decision in recent months after multiple cases of alleged Chinese spying and political interference underlined alarms about the proposed embassy.
• Dissidents have been among those who have protested the plans, saying a mega-embassy housing large numbers of officials would further China’s repression of activists abroad.