China intends to open an embassy in London on property with royal
ties.
The populace wants King Charles to step in.
Residents of an apartment complex that sits on a historic parcel
Residents of an apartment building on a historically significant plot of land next to the Tower of London want Britain’s King Charles to repurchase it because they fear that China, the property’s present owner, plans to use it as a hub for shady diplomatic operations
The British monarchy sold Royal
In 2010, the British monarchy sold a property firm Royal Mint Court, a 5.4-acre tract that originally housed the establishment that produced Britain’s coins. Beijing purchased the property in 2018 and intends to spend several hundred million dollars converting it into its new embassy in the United Kingdom.
Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets, the local council, will decide on options for the property, which is currently primarily made up of vacant offices and a stately edifice from the 19th century built for the Royal Mint, on Thursday. If the architect David Chipperfield’s designs are accepted, the location will grow to house one of China’s largest diplomatic missions in the entire world, complete with housing for hundreds of staff members, a center for cultural exchange, and a business hub.
The Crown Estate
which oversees the British monarchy’s non-private property interests, constructed a complex of low-rise flats on a portion of the property some 30 years ago as part of a government initiative to house “critical personnel” such police officers and nurses. The estate was shown being opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1989.
The land was given to the owners of the new apartments on a 126-year lease
which is a standard procedure in British property law where inhabitants own the building’s structure but a third party, the freeholder, owns the land on which it is situated.
One such event took place in the UK in October
when the consul general of China in Manchester acknowledged pulling down signs of Hong Kong demonstrators outside the consulate there. A pro-democracy protester was dragged into the building’s grounds and assaulted, with the incident being caught on camera. The protester had arrived with banners that mocked Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Police in Manchester are looking into the incident right now.
According to Consul General Zheng Xiyuan, he took action as a result of finding the protesters’ posters to be disrespectful to his country.
According to neighbors who were scheduled to attend, Chinese officials unexpectedly canceled a meeting with Royal Mint Court residents shortly after the event without providing an explanation.