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‘Plain clothed Chinese guards’ could infiltrate protest against super embassy in London

2026-01-17 16:58
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‘Plain clothed Chinese guards’ could infiltrate protest against super embassy in London

A protest against China’s plans to build a super embassy in London is under full swing (Picture: Getty Images) Hundreds have turned up to protest against the new super embassy China plans to bui...

‘Plain clothed Chinese guards’ could infiltrate protest against super embassy in London Brooke Davies Brooke Davies Published January 17, 2026 4:58pm Updated January 17, 2026 4:58pm Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook Comment now Comments LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 17: Protesters outside a proposed site for a new Chinese Embassy on January 17, 2026 in London, England. China plans to build Europe's largest embassy on the former Royal Mint Court site in London, featuring more than 200 underground rooms. Unredacted plans reveal a hidden chamber just one metre from critical fibre-optic cables, sparking fears of espionage and data interception. Despite warnings from UK and US security experts, the government is expected to approve the project next week with mitigations ahead of the Prime Minister's visit to Beijing. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) A protest against China’s plans to build a super embassy in London is under full swing (Picture: Getty Images)

Hundreds have turned up to protest against the new super embassy China plans to build in a historical part of London in a diplomatic battle threatening to explode.

Prime minister Keir Starmer is reportedly set to green-light the hugely controversial new Chinese embassy despite widespread security concerns.

The new building will be converted from the old Royal Mint in Tower Hamlets near top financial centres and critical communication cables.

And today some 500 people have turned up at the Royal Mint Court, but there are concerns there are Chinese spies in the midst.

Luke de Pulford, of the International Parliamentary Alliance on China, said: ‘The Chinese have plain clothes security guards operating in this area.

‘The police are being very helpful in trying to stop that. A message to our press, please have your credentials ready.’

NOTE DEPICTIONS AND LANGUAGE ON PLACARDS Representatives of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, along with other groups, demonstrate outside Royal Mint Court, London, the site of the proposed new Chinese embassy. Picture date: Saturday January 17, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Lucy North/PA Wire Hundreds have turned up to protest the plans (Picture: Lucy North/PA Wire)

What does China’s super embassy include?

On tuesday The Telegraph published unredacted plans for the new building which only raises further questions.

It includes a concealed chamber which runs along the outer wall of a room, and it would be placed close to fibre optic cables transmitting email and messaging data for millions of people.

However, the Times has reported that Keir Starmer will give his backing for the project to go ahead before leaving for a trip to Beijing this month.

Riot police are present at the site today as Londoners gather to express their outrage at the plans.

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How the new embassy development would transform the Royal Mint site NOTE DEPICTIONS AND LANGUAGE ON PLACARDS Representatives of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, along with other groups, demonstrate outside Royal Mint Court, London, the site of the proposed new Chinese embassy. Picture date: Saturday January 17, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Lucy North/PA Wire Keir Starmer is set to approve the plans despite widespread concerns (Picture: Lucy North/PA Wire)

Critical concerns over communication cables

Last year MI5 were reportedly worried about the building’s close proximity to major communication cables, leaving them susceptible to an attack.

Security expert Will Geddes told Metro: ‘A super-embassy would become the mothership of all lucrative communication.

‘The surveillance capabilities will be much greater, but being next to these important cables raises an even greater risk.’

He explained the China will ‘easily’ be intercept the wires by hot tapping.

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‘Or they can just set up their own, which we in turn would struggle to intercept,’ Will said.

Britain's main opposition Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch speaks to crowds gathering at the site of the former Royal Mint in London on January 17, 2026, to demonstrate against a proposal to move China's embassy to this site, a stones-throw from The Tower of London. Britain's government is set to announce this week whether China can relocate its embassy from its current site in the upmarket Marylebone district, to Royal Mint Court. (Photo by Toby Shepheard / AFP via Getty Images) Britain’s main opposition Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch speaks to crowds gathering at the site of the former Royal Mint in London today (Picture: AFP)

In 2023, it was revealed the Chinese embassy was running overseas police stations to harass dispersed communities and coerce people to return to China.

But MI5 and MI6 have reportedly raised no formal objections to the new embassy, which would be China’s largest in Europe at 22,000 square metres.

The ultimate decision on whether to give the plans a thumbs-up was delayed by both the former Housing Secretary Angela Rayner and the current one, Steve Reed.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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