00:00This is where China is set to build a massive new embassy in central London, around 20,000 square meters.
00:08It will be its largest in all of Europe.
00:11Britain's government gave approval on Tuesday for the embassy plan to go ahead after years of delay.
00:18China bought the site, known as Royal Mint Court, back in 2018.
00:23But its plans to build a mega embassy here repeatedly stalled,
00:26amid widespread protests, objections, and legal challenges.
00:33Many are concerned the site could mean more Chinese espionage
00:41and more harassment of dissidents living in exile.
00:45This embassy will be a spy hub if it is built.
00:48There are 208 secret underground rooms under the Royal Mint Court,
00:53and this will be a spy hub for them to have more resources, more personnel,
00:57and more diplomats to survey and intimidate Hong Kongers and dissidents here in the UK.
01:03Some are also worried that China could tap into sensitive underground data cables near the site.
01:09But the government says it has security concerns under control.
01:13We have acted to increase the resilience of cables in the area
01:18through an extensive series of measures to protect sensitive data.
01:23And this government has agreed with China that the publicly accessible forecourt on the embassy grounds
01:29will not have diplomatic immunity managing the risks to the public.
01:35Based on all of this and our extensive work on this matter,
01:38I am content that any risks are being appropriately managed.
01:42The approval marks a step towards resolving a major issue plaguing relations between the UK and China,
01:50one that China is deeply invested in, its foreign ministry slamming the delays,
01:55and Chinese President Xi Jinping bringing the issue up directly to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the phone in 2024.
02:03It also comes as Starmer is expected to visit China this month,
02:08a visit some officials have said depended on the embassy's approval.
02:11It will be the first trip to China by a UK Prime Minister in over seven years.
02:17But there's no guarantee that the project won't be delayed further.
02:21Nearby residents say they plan to legally challenge the approval.
02:26Still, the decision is a major one, both for the UK and for China,
02:31now closer to its goal of finally building its long-awaited mega-embassy.
02:36Ryan Wu and Keynes Karanta for Taiwan Plus.
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