The UK government has approved China's plans to build Europe's largest embassy in London.
The politically contentious decision has been made after the plans were "called-in" for a public inquiry in 2024. It has been made ahead of an expected visit by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to Beijing later this month. The UK’s plans to redevelop its embassy in China have been blocked for years by Xi Jinping's government because of the delay in the London decision.
The residents of Royal Mint Court, the site of the planned development, are expected to launch a fresh legal challenge shortly, while some MPs continue to oppose the plans over security concerns.
Addressing these issues the decision, published on the government's website, states: "In reaching his conclusions on security, the Secretary of State [for Housing, Communities and Local Government] has taken into account the statement of [Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office/Home Office in their representation of 27 November 2025 that they ‘have worked closely across government, with policing, and other relevant partners, to ensure that the breadth of national security issues associated with this planning application have been considered and addressed’. He notes that the concerns raised by FCDO/HO in their joint representation to the inquiry of 14 January 2025 have been resolved, and no further concerns have been raised by them."
The planning inspector's report also argues decisions on embassies have to be "nation-neutral".
"It is not possible to discriminate against a use on the basis of the anticipated user. Otherwise that could give rise to an untenable situation of the embassy of one nation being permitted but another nation's embassy being refused."
Planning adviser DP9 resubmitted the Chinese government's plans for the comprehensive redevelopment of the site to the local authority, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in 2024. The planning applications had been recommended for approval by officers, but were refused by Tower Hamlets' planning committee in December 2022. No appeal was submitted by China at the time.
China had then put its plans on hold and called on the British government to ensure it overcame the local authority's objections.
The proposals are for a historic site at Royal Mint Court, just off East Smithfield Street, overlooking the Thames and opposite the Tower of London. It has been largely vacant since early 2013. The plans for the 5.4-acre site are for a 619,200-square-foot development , with staff accommodation accounting for around 353,261 square feet or 57% of the floor space.
Tower Hamlets councillors voted 7-0 against the plans, citing safety and security concerns.
The proposals have proved a sensitive issue between Beijing and the UK government.
Concerns over the Chinese Communist Party building such a large enclosed embassy in London had led to some MPs and members of the House of Lords calling for the government to investigate the planning application.
Tower Hamlets council had also previously drawn up a motion to voice critical views on China’s treatment of the Muslim Uyghur people and the citizens of Hong Kong during the planning process.
The site was the location of the Royal Mint, with the nation’s coinage produced there from 1810, when production inside the Tower of London stopped. The Royal Mint vacated the site in 1976 when it moved to Wales. Aside from the historically listed Seaman’s Registry Building and the Johnson Smirke Building, the remaining office spaces on-site date from the late 1980s when the Crown Estate disposed of the site and it was redeveloped.
The People’s Republic of China bought the site in 2018 for £250 million and the proposals would see its headquarters at Portland Place in Marylebone relocated to the larger premises, becoming the workplace and hub of all day-to-day activities.
The Conservative Party has immediately criticised the approval.
James Cleverly, the shadow communities secretary, calls today's decision "a disgraceful act of cowardice from a Labour government and prime minister utterly devoid of backbone".
"The first duty of any government is to keep the country safe. But Keir Starmer has relegated that most critical priority beneath his desperate desire for Beijing's approval."
In a statement provided to the BBC, the government said: "This planning decision has been taken independently by the secretary of state for housing.
"This follows a process that began in 2018 when the then-foreign secretary provided formal diplomatic consent for the site.
"More broadly, countries establishing embassies in other countries' capitals is a normal part of international relations.
"National security is our first duty. Intelligence agencies have been involved throughout the process and an extensive range of measures have been developed to manage any risks.
"Following extensive negotiations in recent months, the Chinese government has agreed to consolidate its seven current sites in London into one site, bringing clear security advantages."
The Foreign Secretary at the time was Boris Johnson, later leader of the Conservative Party.