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Sunday, June 8, 2025

UK vows due diligence on Chinese embassy in London amid security concerns

The UK government promised to assess any security concerns related to the construction of a Chinese embassy near the City of London, an issue that could potentially complicate trade talks with the United States.

President Donald Trump has warned Prime Minister Keir Starmer against letting China set up a “mega-embassy” near the country’s key financial centres, after the plan was revived following personal lobbying by President Xi Jinping, the Sunday Times reported.
The issue has been raised in trade negotiations between the United States and UK, according to the newspaper.
In response to questions about the report, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle told Sky News the UK will offer a “fulsome response” to any security issues. Those issues will be “taken care of assiduously”, he said.

These are “the issues we talk about as two countries all the time”, Kyle said. “But just to reassure people, we deal with embassies and these sorts of infrastructure issues all the time,” he said.

“We’re in the Five Eyes agreement, America and Britain share intelligence. If people raise security issues even though it relates to planning, then I’m sure we will have a fulsome response for them.

“But look, the key thing is these are issues which are quite routinised in the way that we deal with the security of our country.”

A senior US official had told the Sunday Times: “The United States is deeply concerned about providing China with potential access to the sensitive communications of one of our closest allies.”

The matter is believed to have been discussed during US-UK trade talks, with diplomats saying the Trump administration would have reservations about intelligence sharing with the UK if the building went ahead.

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, with China’s President Xi Jinping, at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November. Photo: AFP
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, with China’s President Xi Jinping, at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November. Photo: AFP
The UK is seeking to complete a US trade deal within the next two weeks, which partially hinges on establishing relationships with China that the Trump administration approves of.

The US imposed a July 9 deadline for the UK demands about the ownership of a steel plant currently held by a Chinese company.

The planned embassy’s proximity to a hub of communication cables that could be susceptible to attack is of particular concern, according to the Times report.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told Sky News on Sunday that China would be likely to use the mission as a base for espionage activities, though the Chinese embassy has previously rejected those accusations.

“I agree with the United States. We think it is a security risk,” he said.

“In government the Conservatives were very clear, we should not be allowing the Chinese to build this super-embassy,” he said.

“We’ve seen the Chinese government cracking down on dissidents, running secret police stations in the UK, even putting bounties on the heads of dissidents, some of whom I’ve met. We should not be giving permission to this,” he added.

More than a thousand demonstrators gathered earlier this year for a rally against the proposed Chinese embassy because of concerns about its proximity to the Canary Wharf financial area and the City of London.

The redevelopment plans were “called in” last year, which means the government will make the final decision after a report from the Planning Inspectorate.

The plan was initially refused by Tower Hamlets Council in 2022.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3313568/uk-vows-due-diligence-china-embassy-amid-security-concerns

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