Approval for China’s mega embassy in London was lawful, UK court rules

The 20,000-square-metre site in London is set to become the largest embassy complex in the UK by area.Published On 31 Jul 202631 Jul 2026A British court has ruled that the planned construction of a new Chinese “mega” embassy in central London can go forward, and dismissed a lawsuit pleading the contrary.The ruling by the High Court on Friday rejected the legal challenge brought earlier this month by The Royal Mint Court Residents’ Association, which alleges that the embassy’s development poses human rights risks to residents, including Chinese critics and dissidents.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4UK-China ‘ice age’ thaws: Why the West needs Beijinglist 2 of 4Taiwan’s economy is booming thanks to AI. Not everyone sees the benefitslist 3 of 4Southeast Asia’s homegrown artists are knocking K-pop off its pedestallist 4 of 4‘Televising our revolution’: India’s Gen Z flips Modi’s social media gameend of listTwo judges ruled remotely that the residents’ “claims are … dismissed”, saying the housing minister and the London district of Tower Hamlets had acted lawfully by granting planning permission in January.China’s plans to build the embassy on the site of the two-century-o...