A spying row is complicating the UK government’s already vexing decision to allow construction of an enormous new Chinese embassy in London.
Critics fear the proposed building could be a surveillance threat, given its location near the UK’s financial centers. The British government is accused of being soft on Beijing: It refused to provide evidence in an espionage case in which two men allegedly working for China were accused of spying on lawmakers, and kept China off a list of potential threats to national security.
A decision to approve construction of the 215,000-square-foot embassy site that was due today has been delayed, sparking anger from Beijing, which said the UK would “bear all consequences” if permission was refused.
