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 on Tuesday approved the plan for China's new embassy in London, multiple media outlets reported. Chinese experts welcomed the progress, saying the move signals a shift of the UK's China policy from one of over-politicization to a more pragmatic stance, adding that it could also help create a necessary atmosphere for British prime minister's potential visit to China.

The Chinese Embassy in the UK said in a statement on Tuesday it noted that the UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has approved the planning application for China's new embassy premises.

The decision was announced on Tuesday by Steve Reed, the UK Housing Secretary, that China's application to build on the former Royal Mint site in east London has been approved, the Telegraph said. 

In a written statement to the BBC, Reed said that "all material considerations were taken into account" and stressed that the decision is final unless successfully challenged in court. The broadcaster reported that the UK government emphasized the planning decision was taken independently by the housing secretary, noting that countries establishing embassies in other nations' capitals "is a normal part of international relations."

The BBC also cited the planning inspector's report released on Tuesday, which twice referred to embassy-related decisions as being "nation-neutral." "It would not be lawful to refuse permission simply because it would be for a Chinese Embassy," the report said, adding that "The same would hold for any other specific country seeking an embassy use through the planning system."

The process ending this week started in 2018 when China paid £255 million for the site of the Royal Mint Court near the Tower of London, where it planned to build a diplomatic complex that would be China's biggest in Europe. 

"The UK government's final approval of the new Chinese embassy can be seen as a phased victory of pragmatic and rational diplomacy over an over-securitized mindset in the country," Wang Hanyi, a research fellow at the China-UK Center for Cultural Exchange at Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday. The decision, he said, shows that honoring international obligations and respecting sovereignty are prerequisites for the healthy development of China-UK relations.

Wang added that the approval would create favorable conditions for Prime Minister Keir Starmer's potential visit to China, while also serving as a reminder that attempts to "securitize" or "politicize" cooperation issues will ultimately backfire on those pursuing them. "Only by moving beyond zero-sum thinking and focusing on broad shared interests can China-UK relations remain stable and advance steadily," he said.

Wang said the approval came after prolonged delays marked by recurring claims of so-called "security risks," arguing that these postponements were not driven by fact-based technical assessments but rather by the instrumentalization of geopolitical competition.

The proposed embassy has previously drawn criticism from some British politicians. The Financial Times reported that Conservative shadow Home Office minister Alicia Kearns claimed the proposals include a "shadowy network of 208 secret rooms," citing reports about so-called secret facilities, and asked the government to delay its decision again in order to examine the blueprint in greater detail.

Responding to the so-called national security concerns, the UK government said "National security is our first duty. Intelligence agencies have been involved throughout the process and an extensive range of measures have been developed to manage any risks," according to the BBC.

"The choice of the Chinese embassy site would undoubtedly have undergone scrutiny by the British government and its intelligence services," Li Guanjie, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies under Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday, adding that claims by some UK politicians that the project poses a threat to national security are entirely unfounded.