The United Kingdom has approved a plan by China to build its largest embassy in Europe at the Royal Mint Court in London’s financial district. The decision comes despite concerns raised by U.S. lawmakers about security and foreign interference.
Congressman John Moolenaar criticized the UK’s move, stating, “The UK’s decision defies common sense. It is effectively rewarding China for spying on Parliament, interfering in the UK’s elections, and fueling Russia’s war in Ukraine. China is also suspected of cutting undersea cables, so letting it build on the land above critical infrastructure is a serious security risk. The only safeguard against the mega-embassy is to prohibit its construction.”
Moolenaar has previously contacted British officials twice this year to urge them not to approve the embassy project. In November, he and House Foreign Affairs Chairman Brian Mast sent a letter to U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warning that the embassy's location near essential communication cables serving London's financial sector posed significant dangers.
Earlier in February, Moolenaar and Congressman Chris Smith—who chairs the Congressional-Executive Commission on China—addressed Lord Peter Mandelson, former Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the United States. They wrote: “giving the Chinese Communist government such a prominent diplomatic foothold in the UK will only embolden its efforts to intimidate and harass UK citizens and dissidents and experts across Europe who oppose or criticize its policies.”
