Image Caption: On October 1, 2024, the anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party's founding of its regime, activists from the Hong Kong diaspora in the UK protest outside the former Royal Mint Court in London, a site potentially being redeveloped into the CCP’s new embassy. (Photo by VOA reporter Zheng Lejie)
[People News] On Tuesday, June 24, bipartisan leaders of the U.S. House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party issued a joint statement expressing concern over the CCP’s plan to establish a “super embassy” in London.
According to a report by Voice of America, Congressman John Moolenaar (R-MI), Chairman of the House China Select Committee, and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), the committee’s Ranking Member, posted on the social media platform X: “We have not received credible assurances that the risks posed by the People’s Republic of China’s proposed ‘super embassy’ in London can be sufficiently mitigated. The scale of the proposed building, as well as its proximity to sensitive communication cables and financial centres, could pose unacceptable threats not only to the citizens of London but also to the UK, the Five Eyes alliance, and Europe as a whole. The world is watching, and we urge the UK to continue safeguarding our shared security interests as close allies.”
The Chinese government purchased the historic Royal Mint Court near London’s landmark Tower of London in 2018 and plans to construct the largest Chinese embassy in Europe on the site. The proposed embassy has faced protests from politicians and activists, and concerns have been raised by British intelligence agencies, leading to obstacles in the planning approval process.
Reports have also indicated that U.S. officials are troubled by the embassy’s proposed location, citing its proximity to sensitive communications infrastructure.
The House China Select Committee’s post included a repost of a Times of London article addressing the CCP embassy site issue.
According to the Times of London report published last Saturday, the embassy project was recently revived under the personal lobbying of Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping. It is believed that the UK Planning Inspectorate—an executive agency of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities—has approved the plan and submitted its report to Labour government housing minister Angela Rayner, who is expected to give it a rubber-stamp approval.
Back on February 26, Congressman Moolenaar and Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), jointly sent a letter to UK Ambassador to the U.S. Lord Peter Mandelson, expressing serious concern over the CCP’s plan to build a large embassy on the former Royal Mint Court site in London.
That letter also urged UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to make securing the release of Apple Daily founder and prominent pro-democracy figure Jimmy Lai a top priority, and to collaborate with President Donald Trump to push for Lai’s unconditional freedom. △
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