Proposed new embassy would give China launchpad for economic warfare - Alicia Kearns

China’s proposed new embassy in central London would give the country a “launch-pad for economic warfare” against the UK, the Conservative Party has said.Shadow Home Office minister Alicia Kearns quoted a report by the Telegraph which said the plans on the site of the former Royal Mint included 208 secret rooms and a hidden chamber.Ms Kearns also referred to apparent proposals to demolish a wall between data cables running through the City of London and the embassy.She said: “Cables on which our economy is dependent. Cables carrying millions of British people’s emails and financial data, and access that would give the Chinese Communist Party a launch-pad for economic warfare against our nation.“The Home Office and the Foreign Office say security concerns have been addressed. So I put to the minister, had any minister seen these unredacted plans before the Telegraph uncovered them, and if not, why not?”She asked local government minister Matthew Pennycook whether the Government was planning to approve the embassy this week. She said doing so would “reward” China for holding British national Jimmy Lai in prison.She continued: “The Government can claim today that they had no idea about these secret rooms, and we will take them at that word. But they cannot now say they have no power to protect us. Protect our economy, protect the British people, deny the Chinese Communist Party their embassy.”