China says Britain had 'obligation' to approve mega embassy

by AFP Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) Jan 21, 2026

China said Wednesday that Britain had an "obligation" to approve its mega embassy in London, a day after the controversial plans were given the green light.

"Providing support and convenience for the construction of diplomatic premises is an international obligation of the host country," Guo Jiakun told a news conference.

The 20,000-square-metre (235,000-square-foot) site is set to become the largest embassy complex in the UK by area, and one of the largest in the centre of a Western capital.

Plans for the embassy triggered anger and protests from rights groups and activists, who fear the site could be used to spy on and harass dissidents.

While British housing minister Steve Reed said the decision was final, it could still face legal challenges, with residents in London vowing to act.

Ties between China and Britain plummeted under the previous Conservative government, with the new embassy appearing to be a sticking point.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose Labour party swept to power in 2024 elections, has sought to reset ties with the economic powerhouse, and will reportedly visit China later this month.

While the embassy approval could boost relations, security minister Dan Jarvis noted that China would still continue to pose national security threats to Britain.

UK approves plans for contentious Chinese mega-embassy in London
London (AFP) Jan 20, 2026 - The UK government on Tuesday gave the green light for China to build a "mega embassy" in the historic heart of London, eight years after the process began and despite fierce opposition from residents and rights groups.

The 20,000-square-metre (235,000-square-foot) site is set to become the largest embassy complex in the UK by area, and one of the largest embassies in the heart of a Western capital.

But it could still face legal challenges.

Housing minister Steve Reed's decision on Tuesday to grant planning permission came after multiple delays over national security concerns.

There have also been protests by activists and China-hawks, who fear the sprawling site could be used to surveil and harass dissidents.

Reed said the decision was "now final unless it is successfully challenged in court".

A government spokesperson said: "Intelligence agencies have been involved throughout the process and an extensive range of measures have been developed to manage any risks."

"Following extensive negotiations in recent months, the Chinese government has agreed to consolidate its seven current sites in London into one site, bringing clear security advantages."

MPs, local residents and campaigners who have opposed the plans were quick to condemn the approval, and were to host a press conference to address concerns later on Tuesday.

"This is a terrible decision that ignores the appalling brutality of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)," said Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith.

"It practices forced labour at home and spies on the UK and uses cyber attacks to damage our internal security."

"The residents are determined to keep fighting today's decision," said Mark Nygate from the Royal Mint Court Residents' Association, which has said it intends to challenge the decision.

- 'Really afraid' -

The plans have been criticised domestically for months.

The right-wing Daily Telegraph said last week it had obtained unredacted plans showing the site would house 208 underground rooms, including a "hidden chamber".

The newspaper said Beijing planned to demolish and rebuild a wall between the embassy and sensitive underground internet cables.

But the new embassy also appears to be a sticking point in bilateral ties.

China has voiced frustration at the delays and raised the matter with Britain's Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer early on.

Starmer, who is seeking to reset ties with the economic powerhouse, is expected to visit China later this month, according to British media.

The trip has not yet been confirmed by Downing Street.

If it goes ahead, it would be the first visit by a UK prime minister since 2018.

Ties between London and Beijing fell to new lows under the then Conservative government, which was ousted by Labour in 2024.

While the embassy approval should help boost relations, other concerns over alleged Chinese espionage activity in Britain and a rights crackdown in Hong Kong could still complicate matters.

Last month, Starmer acknowledged that while China provided significant economic opportunities for the UK, it also posed "real national security threats".

There have been multiple protests against the embassy plans in London, with hundreds gathering outside the proposed site at the weekend.

A protester in London who gave his name only as Brandon, saying he feared reprisals, told AFP on Saturday he thought the plans raised a "lot of concerns".

"I don't think it's good for anyone except the Chinese government," said the 23-year-old bank employee, who moved to the United Kingdom from Hong Kong.

Clara, a protester also originally from Hong Kong, said she was "really afraid of transnational repression that China can impose on us".

The head of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, Luke de Pulford, previously said the government would face an "embarrassing and potentially catastrophic" legal challenge from local residents if the plans were approved.

How big is China's planned 'mega embassy' in London?
London (AFP) Jan 20, 2026 - The UK's decision to approve China's new embassy in London has stoked heated controversy, mostly over its location close to key communication cables and its size.

But how big is the new "mega embassy", as it is often called in the UK media?

China purchased a 20,000-square-metre (235,000-square-foot) plot of land, known as Royal Mint Court, next to the Tower of London, in 2018.

Compared to other embassies around the world, the plot size is comfortably outside the top ten, which is dominated by US embassies in the Middle East -- the largest being its 420,800-square-metre compound in Baghdad, according to the US government.

China's embassy in Islamabad, measuring around 1,580,000 square metres according to satellite imagery, is also substantially larger than its planned London project.

But it is an unusually large plot for an embassy in the historic heart of a capital city, particularly in Western Europe.

Governments do not publish the official size of all their embassies, but the US embassy in Rome, measuring 26,000 square metres according to satellite imagery and information published by architects who worked on the compound, appears to be the largest plot.

Given scarce data on actual office space within embassy compounds around the world, plot size is often used as a benchmark as it can be assessed by satellite image.

Most sprawling compounds on the edge of Middle Eastern and Asian cities are low-rise, making it a useful metric, but embassies in city centres are often multi-storied, including the disputed Chinese embassy in London, meaning their true size may be underestimated.

The UK also publishes planning documents which show that the Chinese embassy's projected floor space exceeds 50,000 square metres.

This would make it London's largest embassy, ahead of the new 12-storey US home around 5.1 kilometres (3.2 miles) to the southwest and with a floor space of 48,000 square metres, according to its website.

It would also make it the largest Chinese embassy in Western Europe, and likely the largest embassy of any country in the region, by floor space.