US Grows Wary Over Chinese ‘Super Embassy’ Plans For London

US Grows Wary Over Chinese ‘Super Embassy’ Plans For London
The Chinse Embassy in London on Oct 24th 2019 (Reuters)

The White House has sent strong warnings to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, telling him to stop China's plan to build a "super embassy" in London because of growing worries about national security. The issue centers around Beijing's ambitions to build what would be its largest diplomatic post in Europe at Royal Mint Court, which is located between London's City and Canary Wharf financial sectors.

China bought the planned embassy site in 2018, and it is in one of the most important parts of London's financial infrastructure. Three important data centers are next to the building, and essential communication cables that connect the capital's financial hubs run right above it. This proximity has set off alarm bells in Western intelligence services, and US officials are especially worried about the Chinese Communist Party's known history of spying on important infrastructure.

Remaining content is for paid members only.

Please subscribe to any paid plan to unlock this article and more content.

Already have an account? Sign in

Author

Stanford Nix
Stanford Nix

Chief Operating Officer of Atlas. When I am not running Atlas operations, I write and focus on the economy, capital markets, strategic foreign policy, and innovation in the defense sector. MBA in quantitative finance.

Sign up for Atlas newsletters.

Stay up to date with curated collection of our top stories.

Please check your inbox and confirm. Something went wrong. Please try again.

Access to comments is for premium members only.

Please create a premium account and join the discussion.

Already have an account? Sign in

Read more

Sign up for Atlas newsletters.

Stay up to date with curated collection of our top stories.

Please check your inbox and confirm. Something went wrong. Please try again.