Some Parliament members are concerned China’s move could be tied to proposals for a new mega embassy in a critical area in London.
China is considering lifting sanctions on British politicians, but some Parliament members are concerned the move could be tied to plans for a new Chinese embassy in London.
Liu Jianchao, a senior Chinese diplomat and head of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) international department, visited the UK from June 8-10 to meet with Foreign Secretary David Lammy, National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, and former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Liu’s negotiation conditions with the UK remain unknown. After his departure, UK media began reporting that the CCP is considering lifting sanctions on UK citizens and organizations, though it remains unclear whether this applies to all sanctions or only some.
However, these meetings were not publicized by the UK government or covered by the UK mainstream media.
The CCP touted Liu’s visits in multiple official mouthpiece media outlets, with one quoting Liu’s words to Blair that the CCP would like to work together with the UK Labour Party “to make good use of the China-UK political party dialogue mechanism, strengthen political dialogue, and enhance mutual understanding and comprehension.”
However, Lord Alton, one of the lords who was sanctioned, believes the move is tied to the CCP pushing through its plans to build a new embassy in London.
He wrote in a June 16 post on X: “Trading sanctions on members of @UKParliament in return for a mega CCP-regime embassy would be like selling your soul to the devil – worthy of Faustus.”
The CCP bought the 700,000-square-foot Royal Mint Court site, a historic venue near Tower Bridge, in 2018 and planned to develop it into the largest Chinese embassy in Europe.
Once built, it would be ten times the size of China’s current embassy in London and nearly twice the size of the Chinese Embassy in Washington.
In 2022, the Tower Hamlets Council rejected the initial planning permit amid strained Sino-British relations, dominated by disputes over Hong Kong’s democracy, human rights issues, and cyberattacks targeting UK institutions.
However, after the Labour Party’s national election victory in July 2024, China promptly resubmitted the project proposal.
By Mary Man
