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An American committee of the House of Representatives sounded the alarm in terms of China to build a huge embassy in London, saying that the project raises “important security problems” for the British financial services industry.
“The People’s Republic of China Mega-Embassy in the United Kingdom raises important security problems: from interference and surveillance to the risks of sensitive infrastructure such as the financial services of London”, China of the Chinese Committee Written on x.
“We have to work to resolve this question urgently and work with our allies to protect national security,” added the committee, which is chaired by John Moolenaar, a member of the Michigan Republican Congress.
China wants to build its greatest diplomatic complex in Europe near the London tower, replacing its embassy in Marylebone in central London. But the project aroused the concern of local residents and certain politicians who warned against the potential for increased spying.
President Xi Jinping raised the issue of the new building last year with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also discussed the subject – and a separate British plan to build a new embassy in Beijing – with the British Foreign Minister David Lammy in London, according to people informed of diplomatic talks.
In recent years, British security officials, especially MI5have become more vocal on alleged Chinese espionage.
The local authority of Tower Hamlets, which has jurisdiction on the historic site of the Royal Mint Court, refused last year to approve the project, partly for security reasons. British housing secretary Angela Rayner then took control of the planning decision and will take the final determination.
Metropolitan police had previously expressed his opposition to the proposed plans concerning the concerns that anti-china demonstrations would affect trafficking but then withdrawn his objections.
In January, the interior secretary of Lammy and the United Kingdom, Yvette Cooper, expressed his support for the project, saying that the countries should have diplomatic presences.
The intervention followed a trip to China by the British Chancellor Rachel Reeves aimed at stimulating economic ties. The trip marked the first visit to China by a British chancellor since 2017 and came when the Starmer government intensified diplomatic engagement with Beijing.
The concerns raised in Washington by House China Committe Implications for a critical American joint military base On Diego Garcia, one of the islands in the Chagos archipelago.
The United States is concerned about China’s potential to spy on Diego Garcia, which is an important transit point for nuclear submarines and bombers.
