In a dramatic turn of events, China is blocking the United Kingdom’s plans to rebuild its embassy in Beijing, as a heated dispute over a proposed Chinese mega-embassy in east London remains unresolved. The diplomatic row has put Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner in a politically fraught position, as she faces mounting pressure to make a decision on the controversial Royal Mint Court site.
Reciprocal Embassy Delays
According to sources close to the negotiations, China has resisted UK requests to carry out a major reconstruction of the British embassy in Beijing for at least a year, citing the blocked plans for its own embassy in London. The Chinese government purchased the Royal Mint Court site for £255 million in 2018, with the intention of relocating its embassy from its current location in Portland Place. However, the London borough of Tower Hamlets refused planning permission for the new embassy in 2022, citing security concerns and opposition from local residents.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has submitted plans to demolish and rebuild its embassy in Beijing, a project estimated to cost around £100 million. However, these plans are subject to local planning permission, which China has been unwilling to grant until progress is made on its London embassy project.
A Dire State of Affairs
Multiple sources who have visited or worked in the British embassy in Beijing over the past two years have described the building as being in a “dire state” and in desperate need of major reconstruction. An official who attended meetings at the embassy within the past year revealed that the issue would “come up at every single meeting” with Chinese counterparts.
“Until that one gets moving, the British embassy in Beijing won’t move,” a source involved in the discussions under the previous Conservative government stated. “The grounds for turning it down were pretty spurious … It came about more because they were so angry that [planning permission for the Chinese embassy in London] was just turned down without any support.”
A Shift in Relations
The decision by the Chinese government to resubmit its application for the Royal Mint Court site, with no significant changes, following the Labour Party’s victory in the recent UK general election, marks a notable shift in Sino-British relations. Prior to the election, relations between the two countries had been deteriorating amid concerns over security, hacking, Beijing’s crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong, and reports of human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner called in the Chinese embassy proposal just days after Foreign Secretary David Lammy returned from a trip to China, signaling a potential thawing of tensions. If approved, the new Chinese embassy would be the country’s largest in Europe and nearly twice the size of its embassy in Washington, D.C.
A Delicate Balancing Act
As Angela Rayner weighs her decision on the Royal Mint Court site, she must navigate a delicate balance between maintaining diplomatic relations with China and addressing the concerns of local residents and security experts. The Chinese embassy has stated that “the UK government had given its consent” to the purchase of the site and that “host countries have the international obligation to support and facilitate the building of the premises of diplomatic missions.”
The outcome of this diplomatic dispute could have far-reaching implications for Sino-British relations, as well as the future of both countries’ embassy projects. As tensions simmer and negotiations continue behind closed doors, the world watches to see how Angela Rayner and the UK government will navigate this complex and politically charged situation.
