In Britain, a tug-of-war has erupted between the administration and the public over a plan to turn the historic former Royal Mint Court building into the Chinese Embassy.
According to local outlets The Times and the BBC on the 3rd, local time, the British government postponed its decision to approve construction of the new Chinese Embassy in London, which had been set for the 10th of this month, to Jan. 20 next year. It is already the third delay in the announcement.
The new Chinese Embassy in London envisioned by China dwarfs existing diplomatic missions in scale. With a site area of about 20,000 square meters (about 6,000 pyeong), it would be the largest embassy for a single country across the entire European continent. China bought the site in 2018 for 255 million pounds (about 440 billion won). Through remodeling and new construction, the total gross floor area it aims to secure is about 56,000 square meters (about 17,000 pyeong). It is more than 10 times larger than the combined size of China's diplomatic facilities currently scattered across seven locations in central London, including the existing Chinese Embassy in London on Portland Place.
Even compared with the Chinese Embassy in Korea in Myeong-dong, Seoul, the site area is twice as large as Myeong-dong and the gross floor area is more than three times larger. The Myeong-dong Chinese Embassy in Korea is a 24-story high-rise tower with a site area of 9,871 square meters and a gross floor area of 17,199 square meters. If the plan proceeds, the new Chinese Embassy in London is expected to become a massive Chinatown equivalent to three Myeong-dong Chinese embassies put together.
It is not just big. Inside will be about 200 residences for diplomats, a large cultural exchange center, and a visa issuance center. The number of on-site staff will reach hundreds. According to an analysis by the British think tank Chatham House, this massive facility is likely to serve a "multi-layered fortress" function beyond simple diplomatic work. Experts noted that at this scale, it is akin to embedding a small city in the heart of London rather than an embassy.
British security authorities and local residents pointed to the building's location as the most critical problem. Beneath the planned site for the new Chinese Embassy run the key fiber-optic cables and telecommunications exchange that link the City of London and Canary Wharf, the world's financial hubs. This infrastructure is the digital artery of the British economy, where financial data worth trillions of won flows every day.
Philip Ingram, a former British Army intelligence officer and security expert, said in an interview with Australia's ABC News, "The top intelligence collection priority for China's intelligence agencies is the economy, the economy, and the economy," adding that "it would be like planting a massive insider threat at the chokepoint where financial data flows." He added, "If China uses advanced equipment to physically access these cables or intercept the data, the entire British financial system's secrets could flow to Beijing in real time."
According to the BBC, some sections of the blueprints China submitted to British authorities—especially sensitive parts such as underground facilities—are blacked out for "security reasons." Citing experts, the BBC said, "In the plans submitted to the Tower Hamlets Council, the uses for the basement and several floors are not specified," adding, "Suspicions are mounting that these closed-off rooms could be used for wiretapping or surveillance, or for detaining or interrogating dissidents, as in the 2022 Manchester consulate case." The 2022 Manchester consulate incident was an unprecedented situation in which diplomats from the Chinese Consulate in Manchester dragged Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters into the consulate compound and beat them.
Despite clear security concerns, the British government is mindful of China. The Labor Party government led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer urgently needs to restart trade with China to break out of the deepening economic downturn after Brexit. China is Britain's third-largest trading partner. In a recent speech in the City of London, Starmer said, "Severing ties with China would be a dereliction of duty that betrays the national interest," making clear his intent to pursue economic cooperation.
The British government also argues that consolidating China's seven scattered missions across London into one place would actually be advantageous for security monitoring and management. Contrary to their initial concerns, the British intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6 have recently shifted toward de facto conditional approval, saying, "Security risks can be technically managed through measures such as rerouting fiber-optic cables or shielding."
Bloomberg, citing experts, said, "The British government is using the intelligence agencies as a shield to cover up security concerns for economic gain," adding, "The reason the intelligence agencies said (the establishment of the Chinese Embassy) is okay may be due to government pressure, not because the security issues have been resolved."
As for why the British government postponed the embassy approval decision to Jan. 20 next year, media outlets interpreted it as a "political decision tied to Prime Minister Starmer's January visit to Beijing." The Guardian analyzed, "Before meeting President Xi Jinping, Starmer cannot go empty-handed, so the calculation is to present the 'embassy approval' as a gift." Luke de Pulford, head of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), told Reuters, "Endless delays will only anger China more," adding, "The government should instead reject it firmly and put an end to it."
Great powers have used the size of embassies in major capitals both as a means of projecting national power and as bases for espionage. The new U.S. Embassy being built in Beirut, Lebanon, has a site area of 174,000 square meters—2.5 times the White House and the size of 21 soccer fields. It drew criticism from local residents as looking like an "occupation army headquarters" for being lavish and massive, out of step with Lebanon's collapsed economy. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, is also known for being comparable in size to Vatican City.
Russia (the former Soviet Union) also built a massive embassy complex on Unter den Linden in central East Berlin during the Cold War. The facility served as a hub for espionage activities in Europe. Russia also has a precedent from the Soviet era of securing prime land in Paris, France, to expand its embassy.
The London case is a little different. Past cases were mostly closer to securing military footholds or political symbolism in conflict zones. In contrast, the new Chinese Embassy being built this time is highly likely to serve as a tangible threat of stealing economic information and monitoring overseas dissidents.
Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at SOAS University of London, said in an ABC interview, "China needs a physical foothold to monitor and pressure anti-China activists in Britain," adding, "An embassy with more than 200 staff on site will not be a simple diplomatic mission but a massive intelligence-gathering machine."
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China called the British government's delay in its approval decision an "unjustified delay," saying, "Britain should come to its senses and stamp its approval quickly."