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China is pushing forward with designs for its new diplomatic outpost at Royal Mint Court, a large plot in the heart of London, near Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. The imposing building, which currently lies empty, was once home to the facility that manufactured Britain’s coinage.

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If the proposal is greenlighted by UK authorities, China has plans to invest several hundred million dollars to transform the building, on the historic parcel it purchased in 2018 for the not-so-shabby price of 280 million pounds.

But China’s plans have raised espionage fears, rattled locals in the area, who are nervous for their personal security, and come at a time when Beijing has issued bounties for Hong Kongers in the UK.

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After much government controversy, Angela Rayner, the UK’s deputy prime minister and housing secretary, is expected to make a final decision on whether to green-light the controversial plans by September 9th.

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The Royal Mint Court Residents’ Association, which represents around 300 people living in nearby buildings and has fought against the Chinese plan for years, said they fear how China could exercise its powers as landlord once the embassy is built next door.

China has previously been accused of using its outposts, in effect, as overseas police stations to monitor Chinese citizens abroad and coerce them to return home.

One such incident occurred in the UK in October 2022, when a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester was dragged into the grounds of a Chinese consulate in Manchester and beaten, in events captured on camera

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Immediately after, China removed six diplomats from Britain whom the police wanted to question in connection with the alleged beating.

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