UK Ministers Back Plans for New Chinese Embassy After Trade Trip

(Bloomberg) -- The UK’s foreign secretary and home secretary have intervened in a dispute over plans for a new Chinese Embassy on the edge of the City of London, voicing their support for the new development.

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In a letter to England’s Planning Inspector, David Lammy and Yvette Cooper raised “the importance of countries having functioning diplomatic premises in each other’s capitals,” and said there were just two minor requirements they would ask China to fulfill if the new embassy were to be approved.

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The letter, published by the local planning authority of Tower Hamlets, was dated Jan. 14 — the day after UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves returned from a trip to Beijing and Shanghai where she had met Vice Premier He Lifeng to discuss deepening the two countries’ economic ties.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to improve cooperation with China, in an effort to boost the UK’s economic growth, has drawn criticism following a spying scandal involving a Chinese businessman with close links to Prince Andrew, King Charles III’s brother. US President-elect Donald Trump, meanwhile, is also pulling further away from China, vowing to slap tariffs of as much as 60% on goods from the world’s second-largest economy.

British intelligence services have raised concerns that the placement of the new embassy at Royal Mint Court could grant China access to sensitive communication cables running beneath the City’s business district, the i newspaper reported earlier this month.

The Metropolitan Police had also previously raised concerns that the site, close to the Tower of London tourist attraction, did not include enough space to accommodate for protests. However in their letter, Lammy and Cooper revealed the police had withdrawn their objection and were now “content that there is sufficient space for future protests without significantly impacting the adjacent road network.”

The two ministers only asked that the plans be modified for health and safety reasons to change the way the public access exhibitions in the embassy complex, which include Cistercian ruins, and to compel China to give up diplomatic accreditation of seven other premises it has across London, since the new embassy would be significantly larger than the old one in Marylebone.

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The ultimate decision on whether the embassy is approved lies with housing secretary Angela Rayner, after planning approval was first rejected by Tower Hamlets councilors. Beijing resubmitted the plans in August, prompting the scheme to be “called in” by Rayner — a government spokesperson said it “raised planning issues of more than local importance.” The Planning Inspector will hold a public inquiry before Rayner makes the final call.

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