More than 1,000 protesters are due to object to the plans outside the proposed site of Royal Mint Court, a historic site near the Tower of London, as the UK Government grapples with what has become a diplomatic headache.
The embassy would also be nearly three times larger than the MI6 headquarters in Vauxhall, while due to the sheer size of the building, it would seem logical that China’s diplomatic staff numbers would increase from 124.
The planning application has remained a geo-political issue for successive governments. The Conservatives refused to force through planning permission in 2023 after Tower Hamlets denied the plans – a move which reportedly strained relations with Beijing.
Sunak, however, defied many senor Tories by dismissing calls for Beijing to be formally categorised as a threat. His predecessor Liz Truss maintained China should be reclassified instead of being branded a “systemic challenge” while former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith accused Sunak of “kowtowing” and being soft on Beijing.
Sir Keir Starmer met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Brazil in November (Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Beijing resubmitted the application after Labour came to power last year and Chinese President Xi Jinping raised the ongoing issue with Sir Keir Starmer when the two leaders met in November last year. Both the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have signalled their support for the proposed builds.
UK trade with China has grown almost five-fold in the last 20 years, according to the House of Commons Library, with Beijing thought to be the UK’s fifth or sixth biggest trading partner, accounting for 4 per cent of exports and 7 per cent of imports.
He was banned from the UK in 2023 but officials said he formed an “unusual degree of trust” with Prince Andrew and developed relationships with politicians to be “leveraged” by China.
A local inquiry hearing will begin next week on whether to allow the build. Local residents largely remain opposed to the plans and have organised the protest on Saturday afternoon.
It has led to calls for the country to be placed in the enhanced tier of the forthcoming Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, a status reserved for nations that pose a risk to the safety of the UK’s interests.
Britain’s intelligence services have meanwhile warned of the proposed site’s proximity to a sensitive hub of critical communication cables which could be susceptible to attack.
A high-ranking ex-MI6 officer previously told The i Paper the huge site close to the City of London’s financial centre will inevitably be used for “electronic collection”.
MI6 chief Sir Richard Moore and CIA director Bill Burns, in a joint article penned for the Financial Times, wrote: “There is no question that the international world order – the balanced system that has led to relative peace and stability and delivered rising living standards, opportunities and prosperity – is under threat in a way we haven’t seen since the Cold War.”
I'm a pensioner trying to stop China building its 'super embassy' on my doorstep
Read MoreGroups include the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, the World Uyghur Congress, and the Global Alliance for Tibet and Persecuted Minorities.
Coaches are also shuttling demonstrators from Manchester, Liverpool and Scotland.
The objection was later withdrawn after the force was provided with “additional information” in the form of a 2022 10-page report titled “pedestrian comfort level assessment” drawn up for the Chinese government by design firms. It estimated that nearly 2,000 could safely protest in front of the site and up to 4,500 people on the streets surrounding it.
Organisers – alongside objecting to the principle of the so-called “super-embassy” – are seeking to prove that the Met was initially right that the embassy would be a prime target for demonstrations and could not safely accommodate hoards of people.
The Government, Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and Tower Hamlets council were approached for comment. The Chinese Embassy in London was also contacted for comment.
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