US Legislators Show Unease Over China’s Huge Diplomatic Mission in London

February 26, 2025 TruthUSA

The lawmakers indicated that it is crucial for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to be informed about their reservations as he is slated to meet with President Donald Trump.

In a letter dated Feb. 26, Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, expressed their apprehensions regarding China’s proposal to construct a large new embassy in London to British Ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson.

The lawmakers argued that the creation of what they referred to as a “super-embassy” at the Royal Mint Court in London by China would be “counterproductive and an unmerited reward.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington on Feb. 27. Smith and Moolenaar hoped that Mandelson would convey their concerns to Starmer during his visit to the United States.

China initially announced intentions to construct a nearly 700,000-square-foot embassy at the Royal Mint Court, a historic location near the Tower of London, in 2018. The proposal gained momentum in January following indications of support from British foreign and interior ministers.

If realized, the new Chinese Embassy would be ten times larger than China’s current embassy at London’s Portland Place and almost twice the size of the Chinese Embassy in Washington, becoming China’s largest mission in Europe.

The proposed plans by Beijing have also sparked opposition within the British Parliament.

Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith, in a post on social media platform X on Feb. 17, dubbed China’s proposed embassy as the “biggest act of ‘kowtowing’ in British history” and a “nightmare” if allowed to proceed.

Smith and Moolenaar stated that granting the Chinese regime such a significant diplomatic presence in the UK would only reinforce its efforts to intimidate and harass UK citizens, dissidents, and critics in Europe who oppose or criticize its policies.

“China’s transnational oppression operations have been well-documented in the UK and across Europe,” they mentioned in their letter.

In October 2022, Bob Chan, a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester, was forcibly taken from a demonstration outside the Chinese Consulate General in Manchester and assaulted by staff members within the consulate grounds. Chan expressed his indignation at the behavior of Chinese diplomats in a March 2023 interview with The Epoch Times.

The lawmakers also highlighted an incident in San Francisco in November 2023, where organizations affiliated with Chinese consulates assisted in mobilizing individuals to harass peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit attended by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping.

During this event, many pro-democracy protesters were injured due to violence perpetrated by pro-CCP supporters, prompting two rights organizations to call for an investigation by the Department of Justice into the CCP’s united front groups in the US.

The two politicians reminded Mandelson that the British government is likely aware of the Chinese Communist Party’s systematic efforts to influence social and business elites in advancing its political and economic objectives through malicious operations.

A series of recent cases have revealed espionage activities involving China in both the US and UK.

In September of the previous year, a former CIA officer was sentenced to a decade in prison for sharing classified US national defense information with China.

Within the UK, a parliamentary researcher and another individual were accused in April of last year of spying for China.

Smith and Moolenaar emphasized in their letter that in light of China’s human rights violations in China and Hong Kong, the British government should reconsider allowing the construction of the colossal embassy.

The lawmakers pointed to the case of British citizen and former media mogul Jimmy Lai, currently imprisoned in Hong Kong since December 2020, as a pertinent reason for the UK government to reassess its decision.

“We are aware that Prime Minister Starmer has expressed concerns about Jimmy Lai’s detention and vowed to prioritize his release by the UK government. We urge him to leverage his meeting with President Trump to collaborate on endeavors to secure Lai’s unconditional release,” the lawmakers conveyed.

Smith and Moolenaar indicated readiness to directly address their concerns with Mandelson.

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