Several rooms in the plans for Beijing’s new embassy have been redacted, with the Deputy Prime Minister demanding explanations
Plans for a new London Chinese Embassy have been submitted to Tower Hamlets Council, to be located near the financial district.
However, concerns have been raised by several rooms in the plan, including in the basement area, being blanked out with “redacted for security reasons” written.
Concerns of potential espionage
Due to the location of the proposed new embassy at the old Royal Mint Court, close to the Tower of London, concerns have been raised about the possibility of China having access to the UK’s financial systems, as there are several fibre optic cables that carry data for City of London financial firms in the area.
Hong Kong campaigners have raised other concerns that the London Chinese Embassy could be used to harass or arrest political opponents, and residents near the site of the proposed embassy are fearful of potential protests.
Tower Hamlets rejected the original application, with the Chinese choosing not to appeal, but after Labour took power, an identical application was sent.
China now has two weeks to respond to questions about the redacted rooms, with Angela Rayner‘s final verdict due by 9 September.
The opposition’s response was hawkish
Alicia Kearns, the shadow national security minister, said: “No surprises here – Labour’s rush to appease Xi Jinping’s demands for a new embassy demonstrated a complacency when it came to keeping our people safe. Having deluded themselves for so long, they’ve recognised we were right to be vigilant.
“The disturbing bounty notes urging British citizens to kidnap and deliver their Hong Kong neighbours to the current CCP embassy laid bare the risks – yet the Foreign Secretary didn’t even summon the Chinese ambassador in the face of direct threats to those seeking refuge in our country.
“CCP ambitions for a larger embassy would only amplify opportunities for espionage and transnational repression.”
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