Security services ‘very relaxed’ about China’s 20,000 sq m embassy plan
MI5 officers informed the House of Commons speaker in a private meeting that they are capable of handling the risks associated with a proposed Chinese super-embassy in London, paving the way for its approval.
The Guardian understands that during a meeting with Lindsay Hoyle in the summer, senior members of the Security Service expressed they were "very relaxed" about the idea of a 20,000 square meter embassy being built at Royal Mint Court near Tower Bridge.
The espionage risks from the large outpost are believed to be manageable. China has long had a diplomatic presence in the UK, with its current embassy on Portland Place established over a century ago.
Keir Starmer is planning to visit China for his first bilateral visit in January or February next year, according to several people briefed on the plans. However, insiders indicate that the trip is contingent on the embassy being approved next month.
In October, when questioned about the espionage risk posed by the new embassy, Ken McCallum, the director general of the spy agency, suggested that the Security Service considered the development as something they could handle.
"MI5 has more than a century of experience dealing with the national security risks that arise from the presence of foreign embassies on British soil," he stated.
"This is something you would expect MI5 to have an opinion on. You would expect us and GCHQ and others to have deep expertise in this area."
The Security Service will not disclose details of the advice it has given to ministers as the planning decision approaches, but it is understood that its views have been communicated to the Home Office, its sponsoring department.
A government source mentioned that the message indicating the security services were relaxed about the proposed development was conveyed to ministers. A spokesperson for the Commons speaker declined to comment.
Opponents of the project have cited security concerns, including the presence of cables beneath the site connecting to the City of London, as a reason for its rejection.
There are also concerns about the traffic and safety implications for local residents, and critics have raised questions about the optics of allowing China to build its largest diplomatic outpost in London.
However, a former senior British intelligence officer commented that, while it is well-known that "embassies are nests for spies," their location "also presented an opportunity" for potential surveillance.
Ministers are considering whether to approve the super-embassy by December 10, having already postponed the decision twice.
The delays have drawn the ire of the Chinese government, which last month demanded that the UK "immediately fulfill its obligations and honor its commitments, otherwise the British side shall bear all consequences."
Beijing is blocking significant renovation work at the British embassy in Beijing while the fate of its embassy building in London is being decided.
The Guardian disclosed that Boris Johnson, while he was foreign secretary, wrote to his Chinese counterpart in 2018 stating he was "committed to ensuring that our projects develop alongside each other."
Richard Moore, who stepped down as chief of MI6 in September, suggested in a series of interviews this month that a compromise was likely to be reached.
"I’m sure there has to be a way through where they get an appropriate embassy and we are allowed to retain and develop our own, excellent embassy in Beijing," he told Bloomberg.
"We need [an embassy] in Beijing, and it’s important that we have that, so it’s right and proper that the Chinese should get their embassy. Whether it’s this one or not isn’t really for me to judge."
Nigel Inkster, a senior adviser at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and former assistant chief of MI6, said "the size of the embassy is immaterial" and that "it is far easier to monitor staff centered in one location rather than dispersed all around the city."
Inkster added that many countries, including China, now avoid spying out of diplomatic outposts because the increasing sophistication of surveillance technologies has made such operations more challenging.
China also recruits individuals online. Earlier this week, MI5 accused two LinkedIn headhunters based in China of acting as fronts for the country’s powerful ministry of state security, aiming to recruit politicians and their associates.
An espionage alert was circulated to MPs and peers warning about the activities of two LinkedIn accounts under the names of Amanda Qiu and Shirly Shen.
World Affairs Correspondent
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