Britain approves 'mega' Chinese embassy, ​​although everyone says the site will become a spy base

The British government approved the opening of a sizable new Chinese embassy in central London on Tuesday, despite fierce criticism from MPs across the political spectrum that it could become a base for spying and intimidation of opponents, writes Japan's Asahi Shimbun

Local Government Secretary Steve Reed has officially signed off on the plans for the building next to the Tower of London after years of delays and legal challenges.

Critics have long expressed concern that the oversized embassy, ​​which will be the largest Chinese embassy in Europe, will increase the risks of intelligence gathering by China and amplify the threat of surveillance and intimidation of Chinese dissidents in exile.

The heads of two UK spy agencies have said that while it is not realistic to eliminate all risks, there are adequate “safeguards”.

Plans for the embassy have been dogged by objections and protests since 2018, when the Chinese government bought the land at the Royal Mint Court, where Britain's money was once made, for 225 million pounds (about $300 million).

Opponents say the huge site is too close to underground fiber optic cables that carry sensitive financial information between London's two main financial districts. British media reported that the 20,000 square meter (about 215,000 square meters) complex would include 208 secret basement rooms close to data cables.

Criticism of the plan

Dissidents were among those who protested the plans, saying a mega-embassy that would house a large number of officials would continue China's crackdown on activists abroad.

Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition Conservative Party, joined hundreds of protesters chanting “no Chinese mega-embassy” at the site on Sunday.

Critics say the embassy approval was a mistake that overstepped the building's security boundaries – they say it sends a signal that Britain is bowing to pressure from Beijing to avoid economic repercussions.

“The government has capitulated to Chinese demands,” Conservative Party security spokesman Chris Philp said.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis insisted: “We do not compromise between security and economic access.”

Helena Kennedy, a human rights lawyer and member of the Labor Party in the House of Lords, the upper house of the British Parliament, said the decision was a dangerous step.

“We cannot reinforce the dangerous idea that Britain will continue to make concessions – such as granting a mega-embassy – without reciprocity or respect for the rule of law,” she said.

Local residents said they were “determined to continue to fight today's decision” and plan to challenge the approval in court.

Dialogue with China

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government has repeatedly delayed its decision in recent months after multiple cases of alleged Chinese espionage and political interference underscored concerns about the proposed embassy.

In November, the domestic intelligence agency MI5 issued an alert to MPs, warning that Chinese agents were making “targeted and widespread” efforts to recruit and cultivate them using LinkedIn or cover companies.

Beijing has vehemently denied the claims, calling them “pure fabrication and malicious slander”.

The British government has also faced questions over its intervention in the trial of two men accused of spying on Parliament for Beijing, whose prosecution failed last year.

The heads of the domestic security service MI5 and the electronic intelligence agency GCHQ said in a letter to ministers that “as with any foreign embassy on British soil, it is unrealistic to expect that we can completely eliminate every potential risk”.

“However, the collective work of UK intelligence agencies and (government) departments to formulate a package of national security measures for the site was, in our view, expert, professional and proportionate,” said MI5 chief Ken McCallum and GCHQ director Anne Keast-Butler.

They said there were “clear security advantages” in consolidating China's current seven diplomatic headquarters in London on one site.

The government said that “no body responsible for national security … raised concerns or objected to the proposal based on the proximity of cables or other underground infrastructure”.

Starmer stressed that while protecting national security is non-negotiable, Britain must maintain diplomatic dialogue and cooperation with the Asian superpower.

The approval is expected to pave the way for a long-awaited trip by Starmer to China and an expansion of the British Embassy in Beijing. The closely watched visit would be the first by a British prime minister since 2018.

China has complained about the seven-year delay in approving the project, saying the UK is “constantly complicating and politicizing the issue”.