Beijing Renews Bid to Move London Embassy, Make 10 Times Larger

A new planning application was filed shortly after the Labour Party took over the government and almost two years after the previous one was rejected.

An exterior view of the proposed site for the new China Embassy, on June 23, 2023. Hannah McKay/Reuters

Beijing has launched a new bid to build a so-called super embassy in London after a previous attempt failed last year.

The Chinese embassy submitted a planning application to the Tower Hamlets council, 10 days after Labour entered Downing Street, according to public record on the council’s website.