UK: Police inquiry after Chinese officials ‘photograph embassy protesters’ as dissidents fear pictures taken from inside London's Royal Mint Court could be used for intimidation

Archived version

Police [in the UK] are investigating after Chinese officials were accused of photographing protesters outside Beijing’s proposed new mega-embassy in London.

Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, has been told that the incident — reported by a Hong Kong dissident who fled persecution under China’s draconian security laws — could be part of a wider pattern of intimidation and surveillance of exiles and democracy activists in the UK.

Chi Hei Dai, who was part of the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, took part in two peaceful protests against the planned embassy on February 8 and March 15 last year and says he and other demonstrators were photographed by Chinese officials from inside the Royal Mint Court buildings.

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The Royal Mint Court, a historic site near the Tower of London, is at the centre of a political row over China’s plans to build a vast new embassy complex. The government estimates the new facility could bring as many as 200 extra Chinese diplomats to the capital, sparking alarm among human rights groups and exiled communities who fear it could become a hub for surveillance and intimidation. A final decision on whether to grant the site planning permission is expected on January 20 — Sir Keir Starmer is due to travel to Beijing at the end of the month.

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Chi reported the incident to the Metropolitan Police on December 22 under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, which criminalises assisting foreign intelligence services and covers conduct likely to materially help such services with UK-related activities — even if done covertly. The law was designed to counter foreign interference and protect national interests, extending well beyond traditional espionage.

He had not made a report at the time because he believed the Royal Mint had diplomatic status, shielding it from police investigations. When he realised this might not be the case, in the last fortnight he attended Sutton police station, where officers created an “intelligence report”.

The information has now been passed to Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London and specialist officers are assessing whether further action is required.

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[Conservative MP} Duncan Smith initially condemned the police response as “astonishing” and “crass” after Chi was advised by one officer to contact the Hong Kong embassy and police force — despite the fact that Hong Kong does not have an embassy and is part of China.

“I am surprised that someone in the employment of the Metropolitan Police doesn’t seem to realise that Hong Kong is now part of China which has imposed the Chinese national security law in contravention of the Sino-British agreement and are arresting peaceful democracy campaigners like Chi Hei Dai,” Duncan Smith wrote. “In light of the threats Hong Kong dissidents face, such advice looks crass.”

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Another officer reportedly told Chi to seek help from Citizens Advice, rather than treating the matter as a potential national security problem.

The legal status of the Royal Mint Court is central to the case. Unlike the Chinese consulate in Manchester, where Chinese officials assaulted a Hong Kong protester in 2022, the Royal Mint Court is not a diplomatic premises and is therefore not covered by diplomatic immunity. This means that Chinese embassy employees at the site are subject to UK law, including the National Security Act 2023.

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The incident is the latest in a series of alarming episodes involving Chinese officials targeting dissidents and activists in the UK.

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Human rights organisations have documented a sophisticated campaign of transnational repression by the Chinese state, targeting Hong Kong democracy activists, Uighurs and other dissidents in the UK. Tactics include physical and digital surveillance, threats to family members in China, online harassment, and the misuse of international legal mechanisms to pursue critics abroad.

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