The British government has approved plans for China to construct a new embassy at Royal Mint Court in London, a site previously used for minting coins. The development, which will cover 20,000 square meters, is expected to become the largest Chinese embassy in Europe upon completion. The approval followed three delays in the planning process, reflecting the government’s ongoing assessment of the project’s implications. The decision was based on a 240-page planning document concluding that the proposal complies with the development plan when considered as a whole.
The site was acquired by China for approximately $312 million in 2018. Despite concerns from lawmakers, residents, and Chinese dissidents-in-exile, no formal objections were raised by MI5, Britain’s domestic intelligence service. The agency has previously acknowledged that Chinese state actors present a national security threat to the UK on a daily basis. The embassy’s design includes a subterranean complex of 208 rooms, with one located near fiber-optic cables carrying sensitive financial and personal data.
The approval may have been influenced by the need for China’s consent to redevelop the British embassy in Beijing, which has been delayed. The UK government has expressed a desire for a consistent and durable relationship with China, as demonstrated by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s 2024 meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. China remains a significant trading partner, accounting for 5.5% of UK trade in the second quarter of 2025, though British exports to China declined by 23% over that period.