Over 1,000 demonstrators are set to gather on Saturday to oppose China’s proposed new “super-embassy” in London, just days before a key government ruling on the matter.
The large-scale protest will take place at Royal Mint Court, a historic site near the Tower of London, where China aims to establish its biggest embassy in Europe.
Beijing acquired the 20,000-square-metre (two-hectare) site in 2018, but in 2022, Tower Hamlets Council rejected its planning application, citing various concerns, including the impact of mass demonstrations. The then-Conservative government chose not to intervene.
Following Labour’s rise to power, China resubmitted its proposal, which gained renewed attention after Chinese President Xi Jinping directly addressed the issue with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Cabinet ministers Yvette Cooper and David Lammy have expressed their backing for the project, with a public inquiry set to commence next week.
Local residents strongly oppose the development and have joined forces with advocacy groups representing Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hong Kongers, and Chinese dissidents to organise the weekend’s demonstration.
A number of prominent politicians are expected to speak at the rally, including Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick, Shadow Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, and Blair McDougall, Labour MP for East Renfrewshire and a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
McDougall criticised the UK’s stance on Beijing, stating: “We must establish firm boundaries in our dealings with China. Right now, British citizen Jimmy Lai is imprisoned for exercising rights that were supposed to be protected under UK-China agreements.
Meanwhile, savings belonging to British Hong Kongers have been seized. We should not be granting favours to Beijing while they are violating past commitments.”
Mark Nygate, Treasurer of the Royal Mint Court Residents Association, voiced concerns that political motivations were overriding local interests. “We’re frustrated by how the government is handling this – it appears to have intervened in a way that sidelines the inspector’s role,” he said.
“They called for a public inquiry, appointed an inspector – and suddenly, you have David Lammy and Yvette Cooper writing to the council, stating they would approve the scheme with only minor alterations … But the impact on my building and the surrounding estate would be enormous.”
The organisers have notified the Metropolitan Police that over 1,000 demonstrators are expected, with supporters travelling in from Manchester, Liverpool, and Scotland by coach.
The Met had initially objected to the project in November, cautioning that the proposed embassy lacked sufficient space to accommodate more than 100 protesters safely and warning of potential disruptions to local roads and public safety risks.
However, the police later withdrew their opposition after reviewing a 2022 document from the Chinese embassy, which estimated that up to 2,000 people could protest safely in front of the site, with space for 4,500 on the surrounding streets.
Tower Hamlets Council, which reaffirmed its opposition in December, has now also withdrawn its formal objection.
Among the protest’s key organisers are multiple Hong Kong activist groups, the World Uyghur Congress, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, and the Global Alliance for Tibet and Persecuted Minorities.
The demonstration’s aim is to highlight the Met’s initial security concerns, arguing that the proposed embassy would become a focal point for large-scale protests that cannot be safely managed.
Organisers have invited the planning inspector overseeing the proposal to witness the event firsthand.
The public inquiry into the embassy plans will begin at the Planning Inspectorate on Tuesday, lasting up to six days. The ultimate decision rests with Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner.
