China's push to build the largest embassy in Europe in the heart of London is fueling controversy. Because the embassy is set to be built near major facilities in London, voices are rising locally expressing concern about the possibility of Chinese espionage.
According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 25th (local time), the British government is set to decide next month whether to approve China's plan to build an embassy and cultural exchange facilities on Royal Mint Court, a site formerly owned by the British royal family. China purchased the 20,000-square-meter Royal Mint Court site in 2018 for £255 million (about 481.2 billion won).
Once completed, it is expected to be the largest Chinese embassy in Europe. China is pushing a new development with a total floor area of about 56,000 square meters, including 225 staff residences, a visa processing center, and a cultural heritage interpretation hall. That is nearly 10 times the size of the current main Chinese Embassy in Marylebone, London, and about three times the size of the Embassy of China in Korea in Myeong-dong, Seoul (total floor area 17,199 square meters), which is considered large among Chinese embassies worldwide.
Because the Royal Mint Court site sits near major landmarks such as the Tower of London and the City of London, some argue the Chinese Embassy could become a "base for espionage activities" in Europe. Moreover, with relations between Britain and China less than friendly, The Wall Street Journal reported that the push to build the embassy has stirred considerable backlash even among senior levels of the government.
Earlier, U.K. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner last month sent an official letter to the Chinese side demanding a detailed explanation of the reasons and justification, noting that two of the embassy buildings shown on the blueprints were obscured for "security reasons" and that there was also a massive underground space with unclear use.
In particular, because the embassy site is located in London's financial center, some claim China could hack underground cables. China has faced criticism for carrying out cyberattacks around the world, and last month Britain, together with the United States, a member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, warned that the Chinese government had conducted hacking attacks targeting at least 200 U.S. organizations and 80 countries.
According to the BBC, near the Royal Mint Court site is a fiber-optic cable tunnel under the River Thames that has served hundreds of corporations in London's financial district since 1985. Also on the site stands the five-story brick building "Wapping Telephone Exchange," consolidated with London's financial district.
Periklis Petropoulos, a photonics researcher at the University of Southampton, warned that if China gains direct access to the operating telephone exchange, it could obtain sensitive information. A security expert who served in the former U.S. administration of Joe Biden said, "Everything within up to 800 meters of the embassy could be vulnerable."
Concerns are also growing over the fact that the Chinese Embassy has taken the lead in suppressing dissidents. Even now, near the site of the new Chinese Embassy, there is a "wanted poster" for Lau Ka-man, 30, a former Hong Kong pro-democracy activist who fled to Britain in 2021. In 2022, a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester was dragged into the Chinese Consulate in Manchester and assaulted.
The Wall Street Journal reported, "There are concerns that the new Chinese Embassy could be used as a space to detain and interrogate dissidents." The BBC said, "There are concerns that through the massive embassy, China could harass political opponents and even detain them inside the building."
The plan to build the Chinese Embassy hit a snag in 2022 when the local council rejected it, citing the safety of Chinese dissidents in Britain, the possibility of frequent protests, and the site's historical significance. But after the Labor Party took power in the general election in Jul. last year, China immediately resubmitted a new application to build the embassy.
At the time, President Xi Jinping directly raised the embassy construction issue in his first call with U.K. Prime Minister Starmer. Then in Oct. of the same year, the Starmer government transferred approval authority for the embassy construction from local governments to the central government. This has led to analysis that the British government is likely to approve the construction of the new Chinese Embassy.