China has called on the UK to “fulfill” its international obligations amid a clash over moving its embassy to east London.
In 2018, the Chinese government bought the Royal Mint Court site for £255million with the intention of moving from its current location in Portland Place.
Last December, however, Tower Hamlets rejected planning permission for the “super embassy” development amid local opposition and concerns for the heritage site.
The 700,000 square foot embassy would have been one of the largest in the world, dwarfing the 430, 000 sq ft equivalent in Washington DC.
The Chinese embassy was given until August 10 to appeal the move but has since hit out at the UK Government for not intervening in the matter.
“It is the international obligation of the host country to provide facilitations and support for the construction of diplomatic premises,” the Chinese embassy said in a response to Bloomberg.
A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson told the Standard: “The time limit for the Chinese embassy or those acting on its behalf to make an appeal is six months from the decision date.
“The decision was issued on February 10 and so the deadline for an appeal is today.
“If the applicant wanted to appeal through the public inquiry procedure then they would have already needed to have given notice to us as the local planning authority. We haven’t received any such notification from the applicant.”
In February, Sadiq Khan confirmed he would not intervene to approve the move.
The clash over the site comes amid a period of strained ties between the UK and China.
At the G7 summit in Hiroshima earlier this year, Rishi Sunak warned China poses “the biggest challenge” to global security.
The UK has also criticised China over the crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong and the alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
The Chinese embassy has been approached for comment.
