"I am pleased to confirm that I have today agreed to grant consent for Royal Mint Court to be designated as diplomatic premises, on the basis of your assurances and the further detail provided by the Chinese ambassador to London, Johnson wrote. I welcome the fact this is China's largest overseas diplomatic investment. The re-development of our embassy in Beijing will be one of our largest overseas diplomatic investments."
"He added that he was committed, as I am convinced you are, to ensuring that our projects develop alongside each other and said that they will be bold expressions of the strength of UK-China bilateral relations. He wrote that the projects have political commitments at the highest levels and cited assurances given to the British embassy in Beijing and to Eddie Lister that March."
Boris Johnson, as foreign secretary in May 2018, granted consent for Royal Mint Court to be designated as Chinese diplomatic premises following assurances from Chinese diplomats and the ambassador. The Chinese government purchased the 20,000 sq metre site for £255m that month. The Conservatives under Theresa May gave Beijing assurances that the project could proceed. The plan has attracted substantial political and local backlash and remains in limbo seven years later. Johnson linked the project to the re-development of the British embassy in Beijing, citing high-level political commitments and coordinated development of both projects. Eddie Lister helped broker China’s purchase.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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