Protesters Urge UK Government to Reject Chinese ‘Mega Embassy’

British politicians and hundreds of protesters gathered to oppose China's proposed mega embassy in London. This would give China its biggest embassy in Europe. But protesters worry about transnational repression and the risk to national security given the site's proximity to sensitive financial data cables. Entity's Malcolm Hudson has more for us from London. Hundreds of people gather in protest outside Royal Mint's court. The proposed site of a new Chinese mega embassy in London. Now people are here for two reasons. The first being that last week it was revealed that the Chinese plan to expand basement rooms at this site close to highly sensitive fiber optic cables connecting London's two financial centers. And the second reason being that the Prime Minister Kirstarmer plans to go to China in the coming days. And so we're expecting the decision of whether this embassy will go ahead or not. Protesters held flags and banners chanting no mega embassy. Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch called for the British government to stop the proposed mega embassy amid serious concerns about China. Whether it's spying, disrupting a lot of our services, issues with trade, the harassment of British nationals with connections to China, the harassment of the people of Hong Kong. There is so much that we're concerned about. The Telegraph newspaper reported that the plans for the site, located near the touristic Tower of London, include 208 secret rooms and a hidden chamber. Critics fear the secret basement rooms could be used to detain dissidents who have fled from the Chinese regime. Hong Kong activist Chloe Cheung is based in London and has a one million Hong Kong dollar bounty on her head. That's around $130,000. She says she fears for her safety. Giving China the biggest embassy in Europe is kind of saying that, OK, you can do whatever you want in this country, you can harass people here, you can sanction our MP, we don't care and we are going to give you this embassy. That is the wrong signal to send to the Chinese Communist Party. Royal Mint Court is also between the financial hubs the City of London and Canary Wharf. The proposed hidden chamber would be located in close proximity to data cables said to be crucial for financial sector communications. Human rights activist Benedict Rogers said this is deeply concerning. You can't imagine it's a coincidence that the Chinese apparently are building these rooms right above these cables. It's been reported that they're going to tear down a wall that separates the rooms from the cables, presumably so that they can hack into them, and that seems to me an extremely dangerous situation. The decision on whether to approve the Chinese embassy plans has been repeatedly pushed back by the government. Ministers have promised to make a decision by January 20th, ahead of Starmer's expected visit to China. Last November, prominent US lawmakers wrote to the British Foreign Secretary urging the UK to deny approval. They said the close proximity to critical communication cables could jeopardise intelligence sharing between the UK, the United States and other Five Eyes partners. Malcolm Hudson, NTD News, London.