New Chinese embassy - Former Royal Mint site

[oblertone]

A colleague of mine attended a planning meeting concerned with a Chinese state visit held in a conference room at the Mandarin Oriental hotel on Knightsbridge. She was warned in advance not to take her personal or job mobile with her; however she forgot about her personal iPad which was in her backpack, albeit locked.
On leaving the meeting she accessed said iPad, or tried to; the contents having been reduced to 'mush'. It was eventually seized by some anonymous folk from the FCO and the job bought her a new one.
She was later informed that the device had been subject to wireless interrogation.
The Mandarin Oriental is apparently owned by a consortium that includes the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA).

 

[Wapping]

Just think of all the pukka Ying Tong restaurants that would open on your doorstep @Wapping !

E1 and down into Canary Wharf, is already awash with Chinese nationals, taking over most of the new builds and lets.

Asian (non Indian / Bangladeshi) shops and restaurants have been springing up, all over the place. The first battle is to train them to pick up the dog shit their bloody ‘toy’ dogs leave.

 

[zoltan]

The whole redevelopment of the Battersea / Vauxhall area has been a big success, I think.

I wonder how many here could afford a 2 bedroom flat in SW11 7BD... Had some interesting drinks at The Alchemist, around the corner from the embassy and a nice meal in a converted pub. I quiet like what they done to the area.

 

[Wapping]

I recall Blair kowtowing to Chinese pressure to ban the Falong Gong silent protest outside of the embassy in the West End, during the State visit. Likewise the banning of protests around Tibet. Spineless individual, that he was.

 

[Rusty]

Beyond me and I imagine most of us here why ANYONE would allow the Chinese anywhere near that or any other Central London location. At least their location at Portland Place was relatively "out the way"

 

[zoltan]

Central London location.

If you or anyone else think that location is crucial for intelligence gathering you need your head checked. The CCP intelligence apparatus size is massive, internal and external. They could rent a flat opposite the US embassy staffed with CCP staff Fuck all the Yanks could do about that.

 

[Engineer]

The reversal of opinion amongst those who objected most forcibly to the application being granted (most notably, Tower Hamlets Council and the Met Police) were shatteringly fast once Reeves returned from China. It stinks.

Tower Hamlets Council blocked the application on several grounds:



The Met’s objections centred on crowd / traffic control and the site’s general unsuitability for such a huge embassy, sited on one of London’s busiest junctions, for traffic and tourist footfall.

The objections vanished like the morning mist. I smell politics and cash; the usual big levellers.

So nothing to do with spying?

 

[boatman]

The Chinese are both opportunistic AND long term players.
They are going to come out very much as the winners in the foul Putins War on Ukraine

 

[Steptoe]

So nothing to do with spying?

Spying ! Who mentioned spying ?
I should’ve realised you were being your usual contrary self.

I thought you knew the reasons for the objections .
You best stick to dicking around on your remote industrial estate and leave the opinions to those who live nearer to the planned development.

 

[Engineer]

Spying ! Who mentioned spying ?
I should’ve realised you were being your usual contrary self.

I thought you knew the reasons for the objections .
You best stick to dicking around on your remote industrial estate and leave the opinions to those who live nearer to the planned development.

So there is no good reason to object other than to stir up trouble and then get back hander, it's the London mentality

 

[Engineer]

Spying ! Who mentioned spying ?..........................

The Whitehouse

 

[EVskiy]

 

[Oldrat]

Interesting stuff.
Thanks for sharing Ev

 

[Wapping]

I read that HMG (embroiled in a Chinese spy mess of their own making) have kicked the can a bit further down the road.

 

[King Rat]

Relating to the title of this thread.

Surely the new embassy of the Chinese Peoples' Republik will be at the Imperial Mint.

 

[brut33]

Relating to the title of this thread.

Surely the new embassy of the Chinese Peoples' Republik will be at the Imperial Mint.

At least they'll all have fresh breath.

 

[King Rat]

At least they'll all have fresh breath.

I was going to add 'it'll be a breath of fresh air' but decided to leave it out.

 

[Loiq]

will it be built by a load of paddies in oxfam pin stripe suits....

glorious days the 80's when see what you thought where city gents going to work and it turned out to be a crew of builders

 

[Wapping]

It’s definitely back on the table and going ahead.

Keir Starmer to approve Chinese embassy plan with blessing of MI5

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Downing Street is in one hell of a muddle over China. The off-on-off-on embassy fiasco, mixed in with a collapsed spy trial and the government’s own security agencies warning (in very plain language) over Chinese espionage and other skullduggery.

There was a protest outside the site last Saturday. I bumped into the very tail end of it, coming back from my wander around the West End.

 

[Engineer]

It’s definitely back on the table and going ahead.

Keir Starmer to approve Chinese embassy plan with blessing of MI5

Latest news & breaking headlines

The latest breaking UK, US, world, business and sport news from The Times and The Sunday Times. Go beyond today's headlines with in-depth analysis and comment.

www.thetimes.com

Downing Street is in one hell of a muddle over China. The off-on-off-on embassy fiasco, mixed in with a collapsed spy trial and the government’s own security agencies warning (in very plain language) over Chinese espionage and other skullduggery.

There was a protest outside the site last Saturday. I bumped into the very tail end of it, coming back from my wander around the West End.

View attachment 460871View attachment 460872

All those in that photograph are now on a list.