A senior minister today dismissed US misgivings about controversial plans for a Chinese ‘super embassy’ near the City of London today.
The Trump administration has urged Downing Street to block the proposed development close to London financial centres amid fears that it will be used to tap into commercial information.
It is the latest warning to be presented to ministers about the site at Royal Mint Court, close to the Tower of London, which is near a sensitive hub of essential communication cables.
But Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said the UK would offer a ‘fulsome response’ to any security concerns raised.
He told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News: ‘These issues will be taken care of assiduously in the planning process.
‘But just to reassure people, we deal with embassies and these sorts of infrastructure issues all the time.
‘We are very experienced of it, and we are very aware of these sorts of issues constantly, not just when new buildings are being done, but all the time.’
However, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told the same programme: ‘It is a security risk – it is likely to become a base for their (China’s) pan-European espionage activities.’
The Trump administration has urged Downing Street to block the proposed development close to London financial centres amid fears that it will be used to tap into commercial information.
It is the latest warning to be presented to ministers about the site at Royal Mint Court, close to the Tower of London, which is near a sensitive hub of essential communication cables.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said the UK would offer a ‘fulsome response’ to any security concerns raised. However, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told the same programme: ‘It is a security risk – it is likely to become a base for their (China’s) pan-European espionage activities.’
The suggested site is also situated between several major financial hubs in Canary Wharf and the City as well as three crucial data centres.
It is understood US President Donald Trump has warned Sir Keir Starmer against giving the embassy the go-ahead.
The matter is believed to have been discussed during trade talks, as Britain and its Atlantic ally discuss how they will implement a trade deal to avoid UK steel producers being lumbered with 50 percent import tariffs by July 9.
According to The Times, US diplomats would be trepidatious about sharing intelligence with Britain if the embassy went ahead.
A senior US official told the publication: ‘The United States is deeply concerned about providing China with potential access to the sensitive communications of one of our closest allies.’
It comes after claims ‘dark cabling’ running beneath the proposed site ‘feeds the City of London’ were given in a memo to the United States’ National Security Council by members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac).
John Moolenaar, the Republican head of the House of Representatives’ China committee said if these reports were ‘accurate’ the site would ‘pose an unacceptable risk’ to both the UK and US.
‘The Chinese Communist Party has a clear track record of targeting critical infrastructure.’ he said.
‘This development would raise serious concerns in the United States and could be viewed as an act of strategic overreach by Beijing and a curious error in judgment by London.’
The executive director of IPAC, Luke de Pulford dubbed the matter as a ‘flashpoint’ in US-UK trade talks, adding it was ‘staggering’ the White House had to corroborate the cabling risk to ‘defend its own financial system’.
‘It’s time to send Xi Jinping a clear message: no matter the pressure or coercion, the UK and US won’t trade away national security, and this embassy isn’t happening,’ he said.
China has been attempting to revise plans for the Royal Mint building, which neighbours the Tower of London, since it was purchased in 2018.
It is understood US President Donald Trump has warned Sir Keir Starmer against new proposals for a Chinese embassy amid British intelligence ears
Fresh warning have since emerged, as due to the Royal Mint Court’s locality to a sensitive hub of essential communication cables, it poses a great risk for an attack. Major financial hubs in the vicinity of the area area also said to be a concern
The matter is believed to have been discussed during trade talks regarding steel production
It is believed the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, brought up the matter with foreign secretary, David Lammy, while visiting London last year.
According to The Times, President Xi had also discussed the same issue with the Prime Minister in a phone conversation.
The proposal for the embassy, which would be China’s largest in Europe, was previously rejected by Tower Hamlets council in 2022.
But two weeks after Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves came back from a visit to China earlier this year, both the council’s and Scotland Yard’s objections were dropped.
Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, described China as a ‘dangerous threat to the national and economic security of our country’.
She said the Conservative party continued to stand ‘firmly’ against the embassy proposals, stating her party would never put the UK’s ‘financial centre or country at risk.’
Next Monday, three of Trump’s aides are scheduled to meet with their Chinese peers in London for discussions in a bid to solve the current trade war between the two economic powerhouses.
Two weeks after Rachel Reeves came back from a visit to China earlier this year, both Tower Hamlet council and Scotland Yard’s objections against the plans were dropped
The Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, the commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and the trade representative Jamieson Greer will act as representatives for the US, Trump has declared on Truth Social.
Yesterday, China ‘s foreign ministry confirmed vice-premier He Lifeng will be on British shores from June 8 until June 13, adding that talks would with the US would take place.
Previously, a Chinese embassy spokesperson has quashed spy allegations, stating: ‘Anti-China elements are always keen on slandering and attacking China.’
A government spokesman said: ‘Applications for a new Chinese embassy in Tower Hamlets have been called in for ministers to decide. A final decision will be made in due course.’
