The protests against China’s new mega embassy spy base in London have been going on for a while and don’t seem to be going away (“Hackers, secret cables and security fears: The explosive fight over the UK’s new Chinese embassy,” BBC, August 3, 2024).
Why would anybody protest what is after all only a bigger and better than ever Chinese embassy and spy base, a home away from home for the Chinese Communist Party? Well, for one thing:
The sheet of paper says “Wanted Person” at the top. Below is a photo of a young woman, a headshot that might have been taken in a studio. She looks directly at the camera, smiling with her teeth showing, and her dark, shoulder-length hair is neatly brushed.
At the bottom, in red, are the words: “A reward of one million Hong Kong dollars,” together with a UK phone number.
To earn the money, about £95,000, there is a simple instruction: “Provide information on this wanted person and the related crime or take her to Chinese embassy”.
The woman from the photo is standing in front of me. She shudders when she looks at the building.
We are outside an imposing structure that was once home to the Royal Mint and which China hopes it can develop into a new mega-embassy in London, replacing the far smaller premises it has occupied since 1877.
The new premises, opposite the Tower of London, is already being patrolled by Chinese security guards. The building is ringed with CCTV cameras too.
“I’ve never been this close,” admits Carmen Lau.
Lau moved from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom to get away from what will be in the mega-embassy, if it is built.
Is there any chance it won’t be built? Well: “The plans had previously been rejected by the local council, but the decision now lies with the government—and senior ministers have signalled they are in favour if minor adjustments are made to the plan.” With accommodationists like Starmer and Lammy running the foreign policy show, the chances of a reversal don’t look good.
Understanding and friendship
Actually, there’s nothing to worry about, according to the Chinese embassy, which tells the BBC that it is “committed to promoting understanding and the friendship between the Chinese and British peoples and the development of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. Building the new embassy would help us better perform such responsibilities.”
Regarding the possibility that the new embassy’s proximity to a network of fiber optic cables would facilitate espionage, the understanding and friendly embassy says: “Anti-China forces are using security risks as an excuse to interfere with the British government’s consideration over this planning application. This is a despicable move that is unpopular and will not succeed.”
Using security risks as an “excuse” to be concerned about security is “despicable”…. Dudes, you’ve got to work on the propaganda a little harder.
