What to know about the plans for a new Chinese embassy in London
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- The UK government is expected to approve a large new Chinese embassy near London’s financial district despite longstanding concerns over potential security risks and espionage threats.
- Critics, including lawmakers and dissidents, fear the embassy’s proximity to sensitive infrastructure and its size could facilitate Chinese surveillance and intimidation of exiled activists.
- The decision, delayed multiple times amid allegations of Chinese spying and political interference, is anticipated before Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s upcoming visit to China, the first since 2018.
- Chinese officials have criticized the delay and warned of consequences if the embassy is not approved, while British intelligence agencies have raised alarms over recent efforts by Chinese agents to recruit UK officials.
- Starmer emphasizes the need to protect national security without
