00:00Britain has approved a plan by China to build a new embassy in London that would be Beijing's largest in Europe,
00:08after recent demonstrations against its opening as well as years of opposition.
00:12The approval comes despite warnings from both UK and US politicians saying it could be used as a base for spying,
00:20and that it might enable Beijing to eavesdrop on fiber-octic cables used by finance firms running underneath the area.
00:26In Parliament Tuesday, Britain's Security Minister Dan Jarvis acknowledged China was a risk to national security,
00:33but downplayed danger from the new embassy.
00:36We have acted to increase the resilience of cables in the area through an extensive series of measures to protect sensitive data.
00:45And I can confirm that, contrary to reporting, the government had seen the unredacted plans for the embassy.
00:53Based on all of this and our extensive work on this matter, I am content that any risks are being appropriately managed.
01:00In the past decade, the UK has gone from saying it wanted to be China's biggest supporter in Europe
01:05to being one of its fiercest critics, to now trying to reset relations again.
01:10Approving the new embassy came before an expected visit to China by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer this month.
01:16Some British and Chinese officials said that trip was dependent on the embassy being approved.
01:23It is set to be one of the largest diplomatic outposts in the world,
01:26with the planning application showing a footprint of about 600,000 square feet near the Tower of London.
01:32The plans had stalled for three years over opposition from lawmakers, Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners,
01:38and some living close by.
01:41Shortly after the approval was announced, exiled Hong Kong and Chinese dissidents spoke out.
01:46This site will accommodate hundreds more Chinese state employees.
01:51We know what that means.
01:54More interference, more influence operations, and more intimidations of people like me.
02:01They were speaking alongside residents who promised a legal challenge.
02:05This has been a long David and Goliath fight.
02:09There is now only one way of stopping this, a judicial review.
02:12So I am today announcing that our judicial review to challenge the UK government's embassy decision begins today.
02:21However, former UK diplomat and analyst Charles Parton said the building is unlikely to be part of a spying plan.
02:28An embassy is a center of attention.
02:31It's easy to keep an eye on people there.
02:33The Chinese don't spy for them.
02:36They spy, they recruit and they run agents, usually in third countries, well away from the security services of the target country.
02:44On Tuesday, the head of MI5 and intelligence communications agency GCHQ issued a joint letter saying while it was unrealistic to eliminate every potential risk posed by the embassy officials, the government had devised a range of protective measures.
03:00Britain's opposition Conservative Party described Tuesday's decision as a disgraceful act of cowardice from a government utterly devoid of backbone.
03:09The Chinese embassy in London said in a one-line statement that it noted the government's decision.
Comments