US Raises Alarm Over Proposed Chinese Embassy Near London’s Financial Nerve Centre

[Social Media]

 

US Raises Alarm Over Proposed Chinese Embassy Near London’s Financial Nerve Centre

 

Tensions between the United Kingdom and the United States have deepened over the proposed construction of a massive Chinese embassy complex in central London, with senior US officials warning it could pose a serious espionage threat to financial data and infrastructure critical to both countries.

 

The embassy, which would be China’s largest in Europe, is planned for Royal Mint Court, a sensitive location between the City of London and Canary Wharf and close to three major data centres. The site also lies above what experts describe as a hub of critical “dark cabling” that supports key communications for the financial services sector. Although the proposal was previously blocked under the former UK government following security advice from British intelligence, it has been revived in recent months after lobbying from China’s President Xi Jinping.

 

Now, the White House has issued a rare and explicit warning to Downing Street. “The United States is deeply concerned about providing China with potential access to the sensitive communications of one of our closest allies,” said a senior US official. That concern comes amid ongoing negotiations over the UK-US trade agreement, which must be finalised by July 9 or risk subjecting UK steel exports to steep 50 percent tariffs. While declining to directly link the embassy decision to the trade deal, the official added pointedly, “The United States expects that all decisions will be taken with our (both US and UK) national security interests in mind and after thorough mitigation as recommended and approved by counterintelligence professionals.”

 

The issue has been raised at the highest levels. President Donald Trump is understood to have personally urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to block the embassy, and the matter has come up during bilateral trade talks. Some US diplomats have reportedly suggested that intelligence-sharing with the UK could be re-evaluated if the embassy is approved.

 

A memo sent to the US National Security Council by members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac) warned that the Royal Mint Court site “feeds the City of London,” raising alarms about potential data interception. John Moolenaar, the Republican chair of the House China Committee, said, “If reports are accurate, placing a PRC embassy of unprecedented size over sensitive cabling that supports US and UK financial systems would pose an unacceptable risk to our institutions. The Chinese Communist Party has a clear track record of targeting critical infrastructure. 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.”

 

Luke de Pulford, executive director of Ipac, said the issue had become a significant flashpoint in trade talks. “The Chinese mega-embassy has become a flashpoint in UK-US trade talks and it’s staggering that the White House had to publicly confirm the cabling risk just to defend its own financial system,” he said. “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.”

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Times  2025-06-09

 

 

 

 

[tomazbodner]

Move cabling outside China's reach and get a false data equipment to be sent through existing cables, jack up land prices to get China to pay for implementing it.

 

If they suddenly change their mind on this location after seeing cabling moved, then you get confirmation of what they were planning on.

[Emdog]

It's none of the US business where China has an embassy in London. Last time I looked, England was a sovereign nation of some standing in the world that is grown up enough to make its own decisions.  

[Watawattana]

I guess it should not be a surprise that a Chinese General is credited with saying, “Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.”

 

Sun Tzu, a military general, philosopher, strategist, and writer from the Eastern Zhou period of 771 to 256 BCE.

[frank83628]

What business is it of the US where a Chinese embassy goes.

The us have bases all over the world pissing off many countries.

Rules for thee, not for me

[JonnyF]

7 minutes ago, Watawattana said:

I guess it should not be a surprise that a Chinese General is credited with saying, “Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.”

 

Why would you assume that Xi's China and Starmer's Britain are enemies?

 

Quite the opposite. Very similar philosophies, I'd imagine Starmer will be bending Xi's ear on how best to silence dissent to the regime. 

[Srikcir]

11 hours ago, Social Media said:

a curious error in judgment by London

Shall we discuss the "curious error in judgement" of Trump's Department of Defense and Trump himself personally not using security-proof communications to the extent that the Five Eyes of security sharing has virtually locked the US out of its exchange of secret intelligence ?

The US cannot take the high road to foreign security measures.

[pacovl46]

6 hours ago, frank83628 said:

What business is it of the US where a Chinese embassy goes.

The us have bases all over the world pissing off many countries.

Rules for thee, not for me

Obviously these cables are being used for secret communication between the US and the UK, so therefore it's in the interest of the US to say something. Having said that, if the UK are stupid enough and let them build the embassy there, then they'll deserve whatever is coming to them. I hate Trump, but in this case I'm with him. It's no coincidence that they want to build it exactly there!