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The UK government is preparing to approve a contentious new Chinese “mega” embassy in London on Tuesday, after Britain’s intelligence services devised a range of protective security measures.
The run-up to the British government decision on China’s planning application for the embassy on the edge of the City of London has been beset by warnings — including from the US — that it could enable interference with nearby communication cables, including those used by international banks.
Critics have also expressed concerns that the diplomatic complex, which would be the largest Chinese embassy in Europe, could be used for espionage or sabotage activities.
Seema Malhotra, a Foreign Office minister, told the House of Commons on Monday that national security had been the UK government’s “core priority throughout the embassy process with the close involvement of the security and intelligence agencies”.
She signalled the embassy planning application will receive approval, adding the agencies had “been involved throughout, and a range of measures have been developed and are being implemented to protect national security”. She did not provide further details of the measures.
The decision giving Beijing the green light for the project is expected to be announced on Tuesday by housing secretary Steve Reed, following a public inquiry and a formal recommendation by the planning inspectorate.
Reed set January 20 as the deadline for his verdict, following two postponements in recent months as criticism of the Chinese embassy plans has grown among campaigners and MPs.
In the Commons, Labour MP Sarah Champion highlighted that as well as the US, the Dutch and Swedish governments had expressed alarm about the project and its risk to critical UK infrastructure.
Tory shadow Home Office minister Alicia Kearns voiced concerns about reports that the Chinese embassy proposals include a “shadowy network of 208 secret rooms” — and urged the government to delay its decision again in order to examine the blueprint in greater detail.
Downing Street has previously suggested that approval of the project would bolster national security by consolidating China’s diplomatic premises in the UK capital, which currently span seven different sites.
The government’s latest comments to MPs came just over a week before Sir Keir Starmer is expected to become the first UK prime minister to visit Beijing in eight years.
The proposed Chinese embassy, which would be close to the Tower of London, has become a flashpoint in bilateral relations in recent months, just as Starmer seeks to nurture UK-China trade.
Beijing has expressed frustration about multiple delays to the planning decision by London.
The UK wants to rebuild its own embassy in Beijing but has been struggling to secure approval for the project from the Chinese government.
Starmer last month laid the foundations for his proposed trip to China, arguing that Britain needed to take a “more sophisticated” approach to its relationship with China after years of bilateral ties blowing “hot and cold”.
The trip would follow visits to China by UK chancellor Rachel Reeves last year and David Lammy when he was British foreign secretary in 2024.
