Luke Garratt: China's plans for
a huge new embassy building in central London,
set to be the largest Chinese embassy in Europe,
have been approved by the British government despite
strong criticism from lawmakers
across the UK's political spectrum.
The plans for the building near
the Tower of London were signed
off after years of delays and legal challenges.
The Chinese government bought the land for Â£225 million,
around $300 million in 2018.
But plans for the embassy have been plagued by
objections and protests ever since.
Critics have long expressed
concerns that the complex will
mean heightened risks of Chinese intelligence gathering,
and more threat of surveillance and
intimidation of Chinese dissidents in exile.
They also say the huge site sits
too close to underground cables carrying
sensitive information between
London's two main financial districts,
with British media reporting
that the complex would include
208 secret basement rooms close to the data cables.
But it's not just security of
the building that's being questioned.
Critics say the approval of the plan
sends a signal that Britain bows to
pressure from Beijing to avoid economic repercussions.
The government denies this,
saying it does not trade off
security for economic access.