Open Letter: Reject China’s Mega Embassy

The Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

25 November 2025

URGENT CALL: REJECT CHINA’S ROYAL MINT COURT EMBASSY – A DIRECT THREAT TO UK SECURITY

Dear Secretary of State,
We, a collective voice of UK-based Tibetans and Tibet groups representing tens of thousands of concerned supporters, are writing to urge you to once again reject the proposed Chinese mega Embassy at the Royal Mint Court.

The 20,000-square meter building is expected to be the biggest embassy in Europe once completed and there are multiple security concerns including the proximity to communications cables.

Granting this super-sized Chinese state embassy on UK soil is not simply a diplomatic misjudgement; it is a serious strategic error that runs counter to UK national security advice, and endangers the Tibetan community.

As you will be very aware MI5 has previously confirmed that the mega embassy would significantly endanger UK national security. This serious advice comes alongside revelations this week concerning aggressive Chinese intelligence agents who have been attempting to recruit thousands of individuals linked to our democratic system at Westminster, offering substantial financial incentives for privileged information. [1]

The UK government continues to state the administration’s policy on China is to cooperate where it can, compete where it needs to, and challenge where it must. But it is simply not realistic for the Government to challenge China while simultaneously compromising national security by handing it a prime intelligence hub.

Rather China’s embassy proposal must be assessed against the documented record of coercion, intimidation and violence that has been witnessed on British soil. Incidents that are not isolated events but are part of a broader, systemic pattern that has been well documented by MI5 and include:

• In 2022 a Hong Kong protester was dragged into the Manchester consulate and brutally beaten by Chinese state actors, an incident confirmed on video [2].
• Beijing has issued bounties on UK-based Hongkongers [3], and Tibetans, Uyghurs and Chinese dissidents report persistent surveillance and harassment linked to Chinese state actors [4].
• The continued imprisonment of British citizen Jimmy Lai under a Beijing-controlled security law demonstrates China’s willingness to silence critics far beyond its borders [5]

By allowing China a superbase in London, the UK government will be putting citizens, residents and vulnerable communities at further risk of increasing transnational repression and will be seen as a reckless abandonment of the UK’s duty to protect British residents. [6] [7]

There is substantial evidence that China views this site as far more than a diplomatic facility, but rather as a strategic outpost.

This is a moment for the UK government to act with leadership and decisively reject this dangerous proposal. By doing this, you can demonstrate that this government is prepared to act with integrity, confidence and clarity and set a powerful standard for other nations to follow.

We therefore urge you to deliver an unequivocal and absolute rejection of the proposed Chinese Embassy at Royal Mint Court. Anything less is an insult to the British people and a failure of national leadership.

Sincerely,

Endnotes:

[1] The Times, 21 November 2025. Keir Starmer to approve Chinese embassy plan with blessing of MI5 https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/keir-starmer-visit-china-lsmqknm3c
[2] BBC News, 17 October 2022 Hong Kong protester dragged into Manchester Chinese consulate grounds and beaten up https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63280519
[3] BBC News26 July 2025. UK condemns Hong Kong cash offer for help in arresting activists https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdx069we39xo Sky News, September 2025 Hong Kong activists with bounties on their heads say they don’t feel safe in the UK https://news.sky.com/video/hong-kong-activists-with-bounties-on-their-heads-say-they-dont-feel-safe-in-the-uk-13435767
[4] Amnesty International reports on PRC transnational repression and UK Foreign Affairs Committee inquiries documenting intimidation of Tibetans, Uyghurs and dissidents. https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/138330/default/
[5] International Tibet Network, August 2025 UK Prime Minister: Secure Jimmy Lai’s release on medical parole – https://tibetnetwork.org/uk-prime-minister-secure-jimmy-lais-release-on-medical-parole/
[6] Tower Hamlets Council planning committee minutes for December 2022 and December 2024. https://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/News_events/2024/December/Tower-Hamlets-refuses-Chinese-Embassy-planning-applications.aspx
[7] The Guardian, 28 April 2025. Met police ‘maintain concerns’ about China super-embassy plan | London | https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/apr/28/metropolitan-police-concerned-large-protests-china-super-embassy