An exterior view of the Royal Mint Court, an 18th-century Grade II-listed complex, which will also serve as the possible future Chinese embassy in London, on June 10, 2025. Photo: VCG

The UK government is reportedly preparing to approve China's long-delayed plan to build a new embassy in central London, seven years after Beijing purchased the Royal Mint Court site in 2018. 

A Chinese expert said the move could inject fresh momentum into bilateral ties if finalized, but the years-long delays expose the contradictory nature of the UK's China policy.

According to The Times on Friday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to formally approve the "super-sized" Chinese embassy next month after being given the green light by MI5 and MI6 intelligence agencies. The UK Home Office and Foreign Office will not raise any formal objections to the plan, providing that appropriate "mitigations" are put in place to protect national security, the report said.

While a final decision has not been formally taken, BBC reported that advice provided to ministers by intelligence agencies "clears the path for the controversial project to be given the go ahead." 

China has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the prolonged delays. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the UK earlier noted in a statement that the application complies with diplomatic practice and local regulations and procedures, and that the development scheme of the new Chinese Embassy is of high quality and has been highly recognized by local professional bodies. The spokesperson said the UK's repeated delay in approving the application is groundless and unjustifiable.

It is an international obligation of the host country to provide support and facilitation for the construction of diplomatic premises. Both China and the UK have plans to build new embassies in each other's capitals, and both sides should facilitate each other's efforts. We once again urge the UK to demonstrate sincerity in resolving the issue and approve China's planning application at an early date, said the Embassy's spokesperson.

For a long time, some British politicians and media outlets have stirred controversy around the project, claiming it could pose an "espionage risk." BBC claimed that Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel warned the approval would "put Britain at risk." 

However, analysts note that such accusations are unsupported and often veer into the absurd. 

Li Guanjie, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies, told the Global Times that if the embassy plan is approved and Starmer visits China next year as some British media reported, "new momentum" could emerge in China-UK relations.

The repeated delays reflect "deep-rooted contradictions" within Britain's China policy. "The UK asks to accelerate its own embassy project in China while indefinitely delaying China's lawful application in London — essentially politicizing what should be a routine diplomatic facility issue," he said.

Recent disputes linked to "spy allegations," Li added, demonstrate the intensity of British domestic political maneuvering. While bilateral ties have warmed commercially, London remains cautious at the political level, seeking to maintain a "neither cold nor further deteriorating" equilibrium, Li believed.

China has previously expressed strong opposition to the UK's decision to delay the embassy approval while seeking to renovate its own embassy in Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in the recent rounds of communication between the two sides for the early approval of the project, "China has shown utmost sincerity and patience." 

"We once again call on the UK to fulfill its obligation and honor its commitments at once, otherwise the consequences arising therefrom shall be borne by the UK side," Lin noted.