MI5 and former officers downplay espionage risk from planned Chinese embassy

Politicians have raised concerns about China’s proposed “mega embassy” near the Tower of London, but the espionage community and MI5 take a different view, arguing the fears are exaggerated and misplaced. Security officials are said to welcome the prospect of consolidating China’s seven diplomatic sites into one.

The site at Royal Mint Court is expected to receive planning permission this month and would employ over 200 people, all expected to be Chinese nationals, with residences provided on site. A former British intelligence officer told the Guardian that “embassies are less and less relevant”.

The Guardian’s sources say the new mission would include a handful of undeclared ministry of state security and military intelligence officers who, a former MI6 officer said, would act as “radars, highlighting contacts of potential interest, getting to know people”. The same former officer argued it would be hard for them to do the “serious business of espionage” because an embassy is a “magnet for attention and surveillance”, and a single site would make monitoring by MI5 easier.

Critics point to the scale of the development. Luke de Pulford said: “More state employees from the People’s Republic of China equals more Chinese interference,” citing the US decision to shut a Chinese consulate in Houston in 2020 as an example.

Key Topics

World, Chinese Embassy, Royal Mint Court, Luke De Pulford, China, Salt Typhoon