High Court upholds decision to allow Chinese mega embassy

A High Court challenge against the construction of a Chinese mega embassy in London has failed.

The decision to uphold planning permission for the site on the old Royal Mint, near the Tower of London, has dismayed campaigners from the Royal Mint Court Residents' Association (RMCRA), which represents families and businesses in about 100 properties.

The RMCRA fear the site poses an espionage threat and will be used to enforce "draconian" Chinese laws in the UK and to target dissidents.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets defended the claim, saying they "conscientiously and carefully had regard" to the residents' concerns.

The association was also concerned about the Chinese government creating a fire risk by ignoring safety obligations, which it said would not be enforceable because of diplomatic immunity.

A High Court hearing was held earlier this month and two judges have now dismissed RMCRA's challenge.

Mrs Justice Lieven, sitting with Lord Justice Dingemans, said there was "no doubt" that the government took into account that it was the Chinese government applying for planning permission.

She also said that the RMCRA was not disadvantaged by not receiving a copy of a "blast assessment" at the time of the planning decision, which detailed the effect of a possible terrorist explosion.

The judge said: "There was no unfairness to the claimant by reason of these documents not having been disclosed."

Speaking outside Parliament, Luke de Pulford of the Interparliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), who has been supporting the RMCRA, confirmed solicitors had been instructed to appeal against the High Court ruling, funded by donations from the public.

RMCRA spokesman Mark Nygate said residents believed this was only an early skirmish in the battle against the mega embassy.

"We knew this was going to be a long haul and we intend to go all the way... as far as the Supreme Court," he said.

"This is a huge case with consequences that go far beyond planning law, far beyond the residents, far from the local community - this is about our country."

Also speaking was Chloe Cheung, who described herself as a Hongkonger and explained the Chinese Communist Party had issued a bounty of $HK1 million ($128,000; £102,000) for information leading to her capture abroad.

The 21-year-old choir girl-turned-democracy activist fled Hong Kong for the UK in 2021, having been accused of breaching a national security law introduced by Beijing in response to huge pro-democracy protests in the former British colony five years ago.

"For many people this is not just about a building, it's about whether people can truly feel safe here in Britain," she told the BBC.

"As someone targeted by the Chinese Communist Party, I know why it's important that Britain protects itself from foreign intimidation.

"I do not want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder... We will not walk away, because the stakes are too high."

Speaking with the RMCRA outside Parliament, Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith, who is an IPAC member and has been sanctioned by the Chinese government, labelled the Chinese government a major threat to the UK.

"We should refer China into the upper tier of foes, because they pose a significant and constant threat to us and our allies," he said.

"For the government to refuse to do all of that in the vain idea that they're going to get growth from China - they won't.

"China will dump all their overproduced product - electric cars, electric batteries, steel, solar arrays, wind farm equipment, much of it made by slave labour... all of that is not growth, it's dominance, it's not good for our businesses."

Conservative shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel also urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to deny permission for the embassy.

"Thanks to this unserious Labour government, Britain's national security is set to be compromised by a new Chinese super embassy spy hub operating in the heart of our capital," she said.

"The court's decision is a clear test for Andy Burnham.

"Will he put our country's interests first, stand up to Beijing, protect our national security and do the right thing by ditching this dreadful plan - a legacy of the failed Starmer years?"

The Chinese Embassy in London has been contacted for comment.

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