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A ruling on whether to approve Chinese application for a recent large diplomatic complex in London has been postponed once more by the government.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed had been due to rule on the application by 21 October, but the time limit has been moved forward to 10 December.

It is the second instance the administration has postponed a decision on the disputed location, whose placement has triggered worries it could create an espionage risk.

A decision had initially been scheduled by 9 September after government officials assumed authority of the operation from Tower Hamlets, the municipal authority, last year.

Protection Issues Brought Up

China purchased the site of the proposed new embassy, at Royal Mint Court, adjacent to the Tower of London, for £255m in 2018. At 20,000 square metres, the suggested development would be the largest embassy in Europe assuming approval.

The outstanding ruling on whether to approve the new embassy was earlier under intense examination because of apprehensions about the protection ramifications of the scheme, including the location, size and design of the facility.

The location is near optical fiber lines carrying transmissions to and from financial institutions in the City of London. Apprehensions have been raised that Beijing agents could use the property to access the connections and listen in.

Current Updates

Additional inquiries have been highlighted in recent weeks about the character of the threat created by Beijing, following the termination of the prosecution against two men charged of spying for China.

The National Prosecution Authority unforeseeably withdrawn accusations against government studies analyst Christopher Cash, 30, and scholar Christopher Berry, 33, last month. Both men contest the accusations.

Earlier Postponements

The administration's initial postponement was asked for by Reed's former secretary Angela Rayner, after she requested China to clarify why certain areas within its planning documents had been obscured for "safety concerns".

Planning consultants employed by the Chinese embassy had replied that China "does not believe that, as a matter of principle, it is essential or suitable to provide detailed room arrangements".

Rayner had written back to parties involved in the review, including China, the Met police and a local residents' association, to give them more time to answer to the plans and setting the deadline later to 21 October.

Current Situation

Reed, who assumed the residential portfolio following Rayner's exit last month, has now requested additional time before a final decision needs to be made.

In a letter reviewed by media outlets, the housing department said more time was required due to the "comprehensive character" of answers received so far.

It stated that it was not able to establish a fresh cut-off date for new responses until it receives awaiting answers from the International Relations Department and Home Office.

Suggested Features

The suggested development would include offices, a extensive subterranean section, housing for 200 employees, and a fresh passageway to link the Embassy House to a distinct structure on the embassy grounds.

Official Statements

Beijing's request for the embassy was originally denied by Tower Hamlets Council in 2022 over protection and safety issues.

It resubmitted an same proposal to the council in August 2024, one month after the new government took office.

The Beijing Diplomatic Mission in the UK has previously said the fresh facility would improve "shared productive collaboration" between China and Britain.

In a fresh official communication published accompanying Reed's correspondence detailing his motivations for the most recent postponement, a Chinese official said objections to the property were "either unsubstantiated or unreasonable".

Critical Perspectives

The Opposition Party said Labour ministers should dismiss the proposal, and charged them of trying to "muffle the warnings about the dangers to country protection" created by the diplomatic property.

The Political Party also requested the request to be blocked, encouraging the authorities to "resist China".

International Relations representative Calum Miller said it would be "insane" for cabinet members to authorize the diplomatic project to move forward, after cautions from the director of MI5 on Thursday about the threat of China intelligence gathering.

Intelligence Concerns

A former chief advisor to the former Prime Minister said MI5 and MI6 had cautions him China was "trying to build a intelligence facility underneath the embassy," when he was employed at Downing Street.

Speaking on a political podcast, the counselor said the services had told him that allowing the embassy to be erected would be "an extremely bad idea".

In his annual speech, the intelligence chief said "China national operatives" presented a country protection risk to the UK "daily".

He mentioned that the UK needed to "protect itself firmly" against China, while also being able to "take advantage of the possibilities" from having a relationship with Beijing.