China resubmitted plans to build a major new embassy in London, a test of how the new Labour government will maintain relations with Beijing after years of diplomatic tensions and disputes.
Beijing submitted a new planning application to Tower Hamlets council to build an embassy near the Tower of London last month. This came almost two weeks after the new government took power on 5 July.
The council’s decision to reject the proposals in December 2022 was motivated by security concerns, with the impact on residents being “without merit” and had “no basis in planning policy,” according to the documents.
China missed the deadline to appeal the decision last year when tensions arose with the then Conservative Party-led government over suspicions of Chinese cyber espionage and human rights abuses. However, China has always had the option to resubmit a new application.
The Chinese Embassy in London stated that its “resubmitted plan and design proposal for the new embassy building fully takes into account the requirements of the UK’s building planning policies and the views of all relevant parties.”
Beijing also accused London of exaggerating allegations of Chinese spying and cyberattacks. The Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, prioritised stronger relations with the European Union after Brexit but said it would audit bilateral relations with China.
China first announced plans to build a new embassy in London in 2018 in line with its growing diplomatic clout. Beijing bought the land on the former site of the Royal Mint for about £250 million ($318 million). The embassy will be China’s largest diplomatic mission in Europe and will be almost twice the size of the embassy in Washington.
This led some British politicians and security officials to warn that the embassy expansion and the increased number of Chinese diplomats could facilitate more spies in the country. In response, Chinese officials expressed frustration with the British government over its inability to help secure building permits at official-level meetings.
