Chairmen Mast, Moolenaar Urge U.K. to Block Construction of PRC “Super Embassy”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast and House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman John Moolenaar sent a letter to U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper raising concerns over the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) egregious plans to construct a “super embassy” in London. 

The chairmen were joined by House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe Chairman Keith Self and Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific Chairwoman Young Kim in urging the U.K. government to consider the broader ramifications to the economic and security interests shared by the U.S. and the U.K. before potentially approving the construction of what would be the PRC’s largest embassy in Europe.

“Reports indicate that the proposed construction of the “super embassy” has raised serious security concerns, particularly due to its proximity to critical communication cables serving the City of London’s financial district,” the lawmakers wrote. “Additionally, these concerns are further compounded by the PRC’s lack of transparency in disclosing full plans to U.K. authorities.”

The lawmakers note threats posed by the PRC are growing in both scale and sophistication, citing recent assessments by both the U.K.’s MI-5 and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

“For instance, PRC-affiliated actors have breached the networks of several telecommunications companies both in the U.S. and abroad to steal customer call records data related to millions of customers,” the lawmakers wrote. “Further, the FBI continues to sound the alarm on the PRC’s aggressive economic espionage campaigns. According to the FBI Director, the PRC has taken advantage of global interconnectedness to facilitate widespread intellectual property (IP) theft. The FBI Director has also recently confirmed that there are currently active PRC counterintelligence investigations across all 55 FBI field offices—a reflection of the scale and urgency of this threat that certainly stretches beyond just U.S. soil.”

The letter comes ahead of the U.K. government’s pending decision in December to approve or deny construction of the embassy. 

Chairman Mast said:

“The U.K. should be under no illusion that China is their friend. This is the same regime that hacked the U.K. election system, flooded Parliament with spies, infiltrated dozens of British universities and stole intellectual property from European companies. The U.K. government should not reward the CCP with a crown jewel embassy in London. Doing so would further embolden Beijing and raise even more serious security concerns. This is about allies standing together against China’s oppressive regime.”

Chairman Moolenaar said:
"The U.K. must not reward the Chinese Communist Party with greater diplomatic influence while it continues to engage in repressive actions against its own people and against those who dare to speak out. This is a matter of international security and the protection of democratic values. Allowing the CCP to expand its influence in the heart of our closest ally only emboldens its malign efforts and poses serious risks to global security, democratic institutions, and economic stability."

Chairwoman Kim said:

“The Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to build its largest embassy in Europe—right in the heart of London’s financial district—should raise red flags for all who value transparency, sovereignty, and security. The CCP has a long track record of exploiting diplomatic and economic access for espionage and coercion. I urge our U.K. allies to stand firm against this attempt to expand Beijing’s influence and continue to protect our shared national security interests.”

Chairman Self said:

"The attempted construction of a People’s Republic of China ‘super embassy’ is an economic and security threat not only to the United Kingdom, but the United States. As a fellow Five Eyes intelligence partner, I am urging our allies in London to refuse this embassy construction at once. The UK cannot afford to bend the knee to the PRC.”

Read the full letter here:

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