Britain has approved plans for China to build its largest embassy in Europe in London, a decision that ends years of deadlock and highlights the government’s effort to improve relations with Beijing despite persistent concerns over espionage.
The new embassy will be built at Royal Mint Court, a historic site near the Tower of London that China purchased in 2018. Plans had stalled for three years following opposition from local residents, British lawmakers and Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, as well as warnings that the location could pose security risks.
The decision was announced ahead of an expected visit to China later this month by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which would be the first by a British leader since 2018. Some British and Chinese officials said the trip was contingent on approval of the embassy project.
The British government said intelligence agencies were involved throughout the planning process and that a range of protective security measures had been put in place. “National security is our first duty,” a government spokesperson said, adding that the approval was taken with those concerns in mind.
Critics in Britain and the United States have argued that the site’s proximity to London’s financial district could allow China to monitor fibre-optic cables used by financial firms. Britain’s opposition Conservative Party condemned the decision as “a disgraceful act of cowardice.”
British security officials have previously warned that a larger embassy would increase the number of Chinese diplomats and intelligence operatives in the country, a claim rejected by China’s embassy in London. The head of Britain’s MI5 domestic intelligence agency has said the country has long experience managing security risks associated with foreign embassies, though MI5 has also warned of Chinese efforts to influence British politics.
The new embassy will cover about 55,000 square metres, making it one of the largest diplomatic compounds in the world and nearly ten times the size of China’s current embassy in central London.
Local residents opposed to the project are considering seeking a judicial review of the decision. Approval was granted subject to technical conditions covering construction methods, access and environmental impact.
The move comes as Starmer seeks to reset Britain’s relationship with China, after a decade in which London shifted from courting Beijing to becoming one of its sharpest critics. Starmer has said closer business ties with China are in the national interest, even as security concerns continue to shape the debate.
