The UK government has approved the construction of a very large new Chinese embassy in east London near Tower Bridge. Communities Secretary Steve Reed made the decision, ending a long dispute about the site at Royal Mint Court. However, residents plan to challenge this decision in court soon. They worry about being forced to leave their homes. Reed said, "Ethical or similar objections to the provision of an embassy for a specific country cannot be a material planning consideration." He supported a report from the department’s Planning Inspectorate. MPs from different parties opposed the embassy plans. Security services said they can manage the risks of spying, even though the site is near important data cables leading to the City of London. Reed noted that neither the Home Office nor Foreign Office raised any specific national security concerns after talks with police and intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6. "No bodies with responsibility for national security, including HO and FCDO, have raised concerns or objected to the proposal on the basis of the proximity of the cables or other underground infrastructure," he said. Cable owners also did not object. Critics warn that this embassy would be the largest in Europe with more than 200 staff, making it a strong base for Chinese spying and intimidation of political exiles, including from Hong Kong. Priti Patel, shadow foreign secretary, called it a "shameful super-embassy surrender." Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith said, "This is a terrible decision that ignores the appalling brutality of the Chinese Communist party as it practises forced labour at home and spies on the UK." Reed said China plans to combine seven existing embassy sites into this one new complex, which MI5 thinks could make monitoring easier. Any spying or harassment by China at the embassy would be handled by legal and security agencies, not through planning rules, he said. Residents next to the site want to raise £145,000 to pay for legal help to seek a judicial review. Mark Nygate, treasurer of the residents’ association, said, "The residents are determined to keep fighting today’s decision." The former head of GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre, Ciaran Martin, said British intelligence would not allow the "mega embassy" if it posed serious risks. Though officials say the planning process was free of political input, this approval may ease tensions before Labour leader Keir Starmer’s planned visit to China in January. Beijing sees the embassy deal as a key part of UK-China relations. Chinese President Xi Jinping raised the embassy issue with the UK prime minister in their August 2024 call. The UK’s own embassy plans in Beijing have been blocked for years due to this London dispute.