Royal Mint Court, near London’s financial district, is the proposed site for the new Chinese Embassy. Britain’s government on Tuesday approved a huge new Chinese Embassy in central London despite strong criticism from lawmakers across the political spectrum that it could become a base for espionage and intimidation of opponents. AdvertisementThe heads of two U.K. spy agencies said that although it’s not realistic to eliminate all risks, appropriate “security mitigations” were in place. They said there were “clear security advantages” to consolidating China’s current seven diplomatic premises in London onto one site. The approval is widely expected to pave the way for a long-anticipated trip by Starmer to China, and an expansion of the U.K. Embassy in Beijing.

Source: The Times January 20, 2026 19:04 UTC