london
AP
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Britain’s main opposition leaders took part in a demonstration against China’s planned new embassy in London on Saturday, days before a deadline for the government to approve or block the plan.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the Chinese government had “harassed and sanctioned” MPs and “abused British nationals with links to China” and urged the Labor government to reject the plan.
“We know we have to stand up to China’s abuses, and what worries me is that this government appears to be afraid of China,” she told hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the venue, chanting “We don’t need a giant Chinese embassy.”
Several opposition politicians spoke at the rally.
After years of delays and legal challenges, the government has set a deadline for Tuesday to decide whether to approve plans to build Europe’s largest Chinese embassy on the former Royal Mint site near Tower Bridge. The government is widely expected to give the green light to the development.
China complains that the UK has been “constantly complicating and politicizing the issue” and has been delayed for seven years in approving the project.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stressed that protecting national security is non-negotiable, but the UK needs to continue diplomatic dialogue and cooperation with the Asian superpower.
If approved by the embassy, it would pave the way for Mr Starmer’s long-awaited visit to China and the expansion of the British embassy in Beijing.
Opponents claim the 20,000 square meter Chinese embassy complex, close to London’s financial district and close to vital data cables, will be used as a base for espionage, monitoring and intimidation of exiled Chinese dissidents.
British intelligence and security officials have issued a series of warnings about Chinese espionage. In November, domestic intelligence agency MI5 issued a warning to MPs warning of a “targeted and widespread” effort by Chinese operatives to use LinkedIn and cover companies to recruit and develop talent.
However, British security officials are believed to have approved the construction of the embassy.
Some security experts say the risks are manageable and the embassy has the advantage of consolidating China’s current seven diplomatic facilities in London into one site.
Ciaran Martin, former director of Britain’s National Cyber Security Center, part of the GCHQ intelligence agency, said the British government would not ignore security services if it argued the project was too risky.
“Unless you want to sever diplomatic relations with China, the location of the Chinese embassy becomes a matter of practicality, security assessment and counterintelligence,” he told the Times of London.
