The UK has again postponed its decision on China's plan for a vast new embassy in central London amid security warnings and widespread protests. Former MI6 chiefs and security experts warn the site's proximity to fibre-optic cables and the embassy's proposed size could enable expanded intelligence operations. Local residents, Chinese dissidents and campaign groups have mobilised against the plan, citing surveillance and intimidation concerns. The government has deferred its ruling to Jan. 20 as it weighs national security implications.
Critics Warn of Security Risks as UK Delays Decision on China's Proposed 'Super Embassy' in London
Mark Nygate stands next to what he calls
The United Kingdom has again postponed its decision on Beijing's proposal to build a sprawling new Chinese embassy in central London, a project that would become the largest Chinese diplomatic compound in Europe and one of the largest worldwide if approved.
Security Experts Raise Concerns
Senior intelligence figures and security experts say the embassy's size and location could create new vulnerabilities for the UK and wider Europe. They have pointed to the presence of critical fibre-optic infrastructure near or under the site and warned that an expanded diplomatic footprint could facilitate both human and technical intelligence operations.
"There are important fiber optic cables that either run under the site or very close to the site, which carry probably massive amounts of important and valuable data,"
— Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of MI6
Dearlove and other critics argue that a large embassy could host many more staff with diplomatic privileges and greater freedom of movement, which in turn might be exploited for intelligence activity. Nigel Inkster, a former MI6 director of operations, emphasized the risk of proximity to where sensitive systems are physically housed, noting that the most critical networks are often air-gapped and require close access to compromise.
Technical and Human Intelligence Risks
Experts say risks include:
- Potential interference with or attacks on fibre-optic infrastructure that handles commercial and governmental data traffic.
- Use of diplomatic cover for intelligence officers operating under the guise of ordinary embassy staff or attaches.
- Opportunities to target communications that are not routed over the public internet by being physically closer to their origin.
History, Symbolism and Local Impact
The proposed site overlooks the Tower of London and The Shard and occupies the former Royal Mint grounds — land sold by the UK government to the Chinese state in 2018 for nearly $350 million. For some residents and commentators, the site's historical symbolism and its location at the heart of the capital raise additional concerns about granting a powerful foreign state a prominent physical presence.
Tenzin Ragba, the U.K.'s campaign lead for the nonprofit Free Tibet, holds the Tibetan flag at an anti-China embassy rally on Dec. 6, 2025 at Piccadilly Circus in London. / Credit: CBS News
Architectural renderings show a compound spanning more than five acres, roughly three times the size of China’s embassy in Washington, D.C. and about ten times larger than its current London mission. Schematics include a cultural centre and more than 200 apartments intended for embassy staff — features more commonly associated with some authoritarian states than with typical Western diplomatic missions.
Residents and Dissidents Mobilise
Local residents living next to the site express unease about the prospect of the complex expanding its perimeter or exerting pressure on neighbouring properties. Chinese exiles, Hong Kong pro-democracy activists and campaign groups have also staged large protests in central London, voicing fears of surveillance, harassment and even reported bounties on dissidents abroad.
Carmen Lau, a former Hong Kong pro-democracy politician now in the UK, described incidents of being followed in London and receiving threats aimed at silencing critics. Activists say the UK is now home to one of the world’s largest Hong Kong diaspora populations — nearly 200,000 people who have arrived in recent years — amplifying domestic concern about potential intimidation of exiles.
Political Timeline
The UK government has delayed its final decision to January 20. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said publicly that China "poses real national security threats to the United Kingdom," and officials have suggested the decision involves complex national security considerations. Starmer has also proposed a trip to Beijing nine days after the scheduled decision date; some observers note the timing could affect diplomatic negotiations over reciprocal embassy arrangements in Beijing.
What Comes Next
The debate around the proposed embassy touches on technical security, diplomatic reciprocity, historical symbolism and community impact. Officials will weigh intelligence assessments, legal and diplomatic obligations, local planning considerations and public sentiment before making a final determination.
