The Prime Minister’s official spokesman has said plans for a Chinese mega-embassy in London could bring “security benefits” despite security fears from opponents.
Number 10 highlighted the security benefits of consolidating the seven Chinese sites currently in place around the capital, as the date for a decision to grant planning permission was pushed back for a third time – into the new year.
Some people believe that if China’s huge embassy gets the green signal, it will become a major center of espionage in the center of London.
However, it is expected that the government will give the green signal to the embassy on January 20 next year.
This is the third time that the decision to move the embassy has been pushed back and it is understood the delay is to allow more time to consult with everyone involved.
In a letter seen by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, one of the groups opposing the plan, the Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary said they were working to ensure “national security issues” associated with the new embassy were addressed.
Shabana Mahmood and Yvette Cooper said their concerns have been addressed as China has agreed that if it is approved it will move all its accredited diplomats to a single location in London.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said unification would “clearly bring security benefits” to the UK.
“Should the planning decision for the new embassy be approved, the new embassy will replace seven separate sites that currently comprise China’s diplomatic footprint in London, which clearly brings security benefits,” he said.
He said the Home Office and Foreign Office had “provided views on the particular security implications, and it is clear that no decisions should be made until we confirm that those views have been met or resolved.”
If the plans go ahead, the Chinese embassy would be the largest in Europe, with accommodation for 200 staff on site, as well as offices and a large basement area.
The Royal Mint Court site will also be close to fiber optic cables carrying vast amounts of highly sensitive data across the City of London.
Suspicions were also raised when parts of the blueprints in the planning documents for the embassy were blanked out when they were presented to Tower Hamlets Council, marking them as “revised for security reasons”.
Over the summer, then-Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner gave China two weeks to explain what those rooms were to be used for — and officials now seem satisfied.
The Chinese Embassy in Britain has previously said the new complex will enhance “mutually beneficial cooperation” between China and Britain, with officials arguing that objections to the site are unwarranted.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer focused on the difficult balancing act of UK-China relations in a speech in the City of London on Monday setting out his foreign affairs priorities.
Emphasizing that China is still “a decisive power in technology, trade and global governance”, while still recognizing the “reality” that China “poses a national security threat”, Sir Keir said he wanted to seize potential export opportunities around finance, pharmaceuticals and luxury goods.
The head of MI5 has described Chinese state actors as a daily national security threat to Britain, and the security service last month issued an unusual espionage warning about the targeting of MPs and parliamentary staff by two named Chinese profiles on LinkedIn, which China rejected.
Shadow Housing Secretary Sir James Cleverly accused Labor of trying to approve the “steamroller” plan “without proper scrutiny” and despite it being “a threat to Britain’s national security” because ministers do not have the “spine to stand up to China”.
“Throughout this process ministers have tried to suppress criticism of the embassy’s plans,” he said.
“Even our security services have been prevented from submitting personal evidence in the investigation.
“The government must now ensure that they can present their concerns through a private hearing, safe from the prying eyes of the regime in Beijing, and it is essential that officials have access to the full, unredacted images withheld by the Chinese government.”
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