China Resubmits Plan for Controversial London Embassy

China has resubmitted plans to build a substantial new embassy in London, a project that could test how the new Labour government manages relations with the world's second-largest economy amid lingering diplomatic tensions.

According to documents on the Tower Hamlets council's website, Beijing submitted a new planning application last month, following the Labour government's rise to power on July 5. The council previously rejected the embassy proposals in December 2022 due to security concerns and impact on residents, a decision Beijing calls baseless in planning policy.

While China missed last year’s appeal deadline amid tensions with the former Conservative government over alleged Chinese cyber-espionage and human rights issues, it retains the option to resubmit. The Labour government, under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, seeks to strengthen post-Brexit EU relations and plans to audit its bilateral relationship with China. The proposed embassy, to be built on the former Royal Mint site and potentially the largest in Europe, has raised concerns among some UK officials about espionage risks.

(With inputs from agencies.)