On the eve of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to China, the UK government approved China’s plan of “mega embassy” in London. We are deeply angered and disappointed by this decision. By prioritising short-term economic gains, the UK government has openly compromised national security, disregarded the safety of diaspora communities in the UK, and effectively handed control to an authoritarian regime notorious for cross-border repression.
We urge Hongkongers in the UK to support the Royal Mint Residents’ Association’s “Save Us From the Mega Embassy” GoFundMe campaign, helping local residents fund a judicial review.
The UK government’s approval papers acknowledge that the proposed Chinese “mega embassy” raises specific, site-related national security concerns, including risks from its proximity to critical telecommunications infrastructure. However, the government claims these issues were considered during the planning process and evaluated jointly by the Foreign Office, Home Office, police, and other relevant departments. It further states that these departments now consider the concerns addressed, and none has lodged objections, allowing the project to proceed.
The papers also note that there is no evidence that the approved operational development would interfere with nearby cables, nor that the site’s use as a legitimate embassy would cause any such interference. Departments responsible for national security, including the Home Office (HO) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) have reportedly raised no objections, and the cable owners and operators have also expressed no concerns. On this basis, the government does not consider the concerns raised about these cables sufficient to justify refusing planning permission.
In practice, however, numerous media outlets, experts, and civil society groups have recently voiced a wide range of concerns, which the UK government appears to have largely ignored.
For months, diaspora communities subjected to ongoing pressure from the Chinese Communist Party have voiced fears and provided testimony regarding cross-border repression. The government’s decision completely sidesteps these issues, contradicting its previous commitments to protect the safety and freedom of expression of diaspora communities.
In response to this decision, we call on Hongkongers in the UK to support the Royal Mint Residents’ Association’s “Save Us From the Mega Embassy” GoFundMe campaign, helping the association raise funds to hire senior counsel and a legal team for a judicial review.
The Royal Mint Residents’ Association represents 100 households living in Tower Hamlets. In 2018, without any prior notice or consultation, the land they lived on was secretly sold to the Chinese government, leaving them powerless. They now face a threat from a hostile regime, with the UK government approving the construction of Europe’s largest Chinese embassy directly above their homes, on the historic Royal Mint site next to the Tower of London.
“We are concerned not merely about an urban planning decision, but about a crisis affecting national security, personal safety, and fundamental rights,” the association said in a statement.
Residents are crowdfunding to back their legal challenge.
https://gofundme.com/f/stop-the-megaembassy-and-support-our-legal-challenge