The entrance to the British prime minister's official residence, 10 Downing Street, in London Photo: VCG

The White House is "deeply concerned" about Labour's plan to approve a Chinese embassy in London, claiming it includes a secret basement meters from sensitive cables, UK newspaper The Telegraph reported, cited a US official.

The US unfounded allegations lay bare Washington's blatant interference in UK's internal affairs, said Chinese experts, noting that if the UK government cannot see through the US malicious intent to sow discord between China and the UK or withstand such external pressure from US on key issues, it will ultimately harm Britain's own interests.

It was reported that a senior Trump administration official raised fears that China could exploit the UK's critical infrastructure after The Telegraph on Monday hyped that unredacted drawings showing 208 secret rooms beneath the site of the old Royal Mint in central London.

Regarding this report, Li Guanjie, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies under Shanghai International Studies University told the Global Times that some British media outlets are seeking to pressure Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of his reported visit to China, but the credibility of their claims is open to question.

However, the US appeared to seize on the moment, fueling the British media's heightened portrayal of the risks posed by the new Chinese embassy complex.

A senior administration official told The Telegraph: "The United States remains deeply concerned about adversaries exploiting the critical infrastructure of our closest allies."

A US government source told The Telegraph that Britain risked giving up any bargaining power it had over Beijing by approving the plans before the talks.

Another US government source claimed British Foreign Office counterparts had "downplayed" the risk of accessing the cables during their discussions, according to The Telegraph.

The US so-called "concerns" only lay bare Washington's interference in Britain's internal affairs, Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times. He said the construction of the embassy is purely a matter between China and the UK.

If a recent string of incidents — including Washington's threat to acquire Greenland by force — has still failed to awaken Britain to US bullying and double standards, then the UK should reflect on itself, Cui said.

Britain, he added, has in the past missed numerous opportunities for cooperation with China because of US interference. The British government should understand, Cui said, that if it cannot withstand American pressure, it risks seeing its own national interests eroded.