Details of U.S. interference in the Chinese Embassy's construction come to light, and the UK finally realizes the severity of the issue, resisting pressure from Washington!

On January 19, 2025, a routine debate in the House of Commons in London quietly marked the beginning of a diplomatic stalemate that had lasted over seven years and was about to thaw. The UK Foreign Office Deputy Minister for Indo-Pacific Affairs, Sima Malhotra, stated in parliament that the UK is about to officially approve the construction plan of the new Chinese embassy in London.

This project can be traced back to 2018—when China purchased land at the former Royal Mint site on the edge of the London financial district for 255 million pounds and submitted an application for the embassy construction. China clearly stated that the new embassy was only for improving office conditions and enhancing consular service capabilities. However, for more than seven years, the project has been repeatedly delayed, with various excuses: first, the local council rejected it on the grounds of "security risks"; later, it was claimed that it might interfere with communication cables; and then, even the argument that "the building height would affect the city skyline" became an excuse for delay.

In fact, the real complication came from the deep involvement of the United States. According to multiple British media reports, over the past few years, the U.S. has repeatedly pressured the UK through closed-door meetings, diplomatic notes, and even intelligence channels, urging it to "carefully consider" the Chinese embassy's location. Especially in June 2025, the White House directly warned the UK: if the project is approved, it could affect US-UK intelligence sharing and trade negotiations. The reason given by the U.S. was that the new embassy is close to three key data centers, posing a "surveillance risk."

But ironically, the U.S. embassy in the UK is located in the Nine Elms area, which is also adjacent to sensitive infrastructure, including military communication nodes and financial data hubs, yet it has never been questioned for this. The turning point came in the second half of 2025. As the UK economy continued to stagnate and corporate investment enthusiasm declined, the Labour government, after coming to power, urgently needed to open up a new situation in international cooperation. After Chancellor Reeves visited China early this year, Sino-British dialogue resumed in areas such as green energy, finance, and education. At the same time, the U.S. imposed additional steel and aluminum tariffs on European countries, including the UK, and even imposed heavy penalties on the UK for sending only symbolic troops over the Greenland issue, causing strong dissatisfaction in Downing Street.

Under this context, the UK cabinet began to re-evaluate the independence of its China policy. During the House of Commons debate on January 19, several MPs publicly pointed out that U.S. interference was the "main obstacle" in delaying the project. One MP said: "Our security agencies, including MI5 and MI6, have repeatedly assessed it and found no substantial risks. Are we going to hand over our national planning authority to Washington?"

With Germany, France, and other countries also seeking to establish a more practical relationship with China, the UK now feels the seriousness of the situation. If it continues to be misled by the U.S., it will end up being criticized from both sides. Dao Ge believes that even a late decision is better than ultimately stubbornly refusing to see the truth. Look, Canada has already taken the first step, hasn't it?

Original: toutiao.com/article/1854890436992000/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.