Campaigners against the massive facility fear the decision may soon be taken out of local people’s hands.
A scuffle between a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester Bob Chan (C) and Chinese consulate staff, as a British police officer attempts to intervene, during a demonstration outside the consulate in Manchester, England, Oct. 16, 2022.
A scuffle between a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester Bob Chan (C) and Chinese consulate staff, as a British police officer attempts to intervene, during a demonstration outside the consulate in Manchester, England, Oct. 16, 2022.
A local London council has once more rejected plans for China’s proposed new “super-embassy,” citing the likely impact on “resident safety and policing” -- but campaigners fear the British government may be getting ready to override that decision next year.
China resubmitted its application to build the massive new facility in London despite being rejected in 2022 amid a vocal campaign by rights groups, who warned it would facilitate espionage and "long-arm" law enforcement by Beijing.
The application to redevelop a huge complex of heritage buildings just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Westminster that was once owned by the Royal Mint and acquired by the Chinese government six years ago was rejected by Tower Hamlets Borough Council for a second time on Monday.
“A range of concerns were discussed at committee, raised by objectors, ward members and members of the committee,” a spokesperson said in a statement on the council website.
“The committee resolved to reject the application due to concerns over the impact on resident and tourist safety, heritage, police resources and highway safety given the congested nature of the area.”
Britain's Deputy Prime Minister and Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner attends the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool, England, Sept. 25, 2024.
Britain's Deputy Prime Minister and Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner attends the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool, England, Sept. 25, 2024.
However, the Council noted that the final decision will rest with Angela Rayner, secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, following her intervention on Oct. 14, citing issues of “national significance.”
China has hinted that it won’t allow the British government to go ahead with improvement work to its embassy in Beijing unless the project is given the green light.
‘Difficult to police’
London’s Metropolitan Police warned at Monday’s meeting that a Chinese Embassy on that site would have a profound impact on policing and public safety.
“Policing this proposed Embassy would require officers to be taken away from frontline duties to fulfill the requirement of policing spontaneous and known protests at this location,” Jon Savell, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Special Operations, said in a letter dated Nov. 14 and published on the Tower Hamlets planning applications website.
“Overspill of protesters from the pavements would compromise the roads which would be difficult to police and maintain the safety of protesters without shutting roads, thus causing greater community and business disruption,” he warned.
Overseas rights groups, who fear an increase in Chinese infiltration and espionage operations targeting Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hong Kongers and members of the pro-democracy movement in the United Kingdom, called on the British government not to approve the plan.
“For a second time Tower Hamlets council have UNANIMOUSLY REJECTED China’s planned ‘super embassy’,” Free Tibet said via its X account on Monday, adding: “The UK Government must listen!”
The Chinese Embassy in Portland Place, Westminster, England, June 5, 2013.
The Chinese Embassy in Portland Place, Westminster, England, June 5, 2013.
It warned in a Nov. 25 post that the new embassy “would serve as a hub for China’s authoritarian agenda, targeting dissidents, monitoring communities, and undermining democratic values on British soil.”
The overseas-based Hong Kong Democracy Council called on Rayner to uphold the Council’s decision.
“Tower Hamlets council’s unanimously rejected plans for a Chinese super-embassy, its 2nd rejection,” the group said via X. “Persistent protests have opposed it. Now the UK gov’t will decide. @AngelaRayner, stand w/ the council, not the CCP!”
‘Deeply disappointing’
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy said the plan was “a high-quality development scheme,” and that the decision was “deeply disappointing.”
“Host countries have the international obligation to support and facilitate the building of the premises of diplomatic missions,” the spokesperson said in a statement on the embassy’s official website. “It is hoped that the UK side will fulfill that obligation.”
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Jason Chao, director of the group Hong Kongers in Britain, also spoke at the meeting, warning that China likes to deploy high-tech forms of surveillance like facial recognition to keep tabs on critics of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
Given China’s track record of suppressing human rights, using intrusive surveillance technology and suppressing dissidents overseas, the newly relocated Chinese Embassy may pose a threat to the privacy and safety of nearby residents or those who work in the community, he told the meeting.
In a later interview with RFA Cantonese, Chao said local residents had been put off attending an exhibit on the planned embassy due to stringent security checks that included noting down the ID or passport numbers of all visitors.
“People had some security concerns, and felt that they shouldn’t be collecting so much information before allowing them to participate in this exhibition,” he said.
The British government will hold a Local Inquiry hearing on Feb. 11, 2025 at which councilors will be invited to explain their objections to the project.
But Chao said their ability to influence the final decision could be limited.
“It’s clear that future decisions on this will be at least partly driven by politics,” he said, adding that local residents now fear the government may now steamroller the plan through, regardless of their objections.
Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.