That woman, Carmen Lau, now 30, is facing what may be the biggest Chinese embassy in Europe, just opposite the Tower of London.
Authorities have taken a tough line on pro-democracy voices since Carmen left Hong Kong in 2021. She now fears that granting China a lease on the sprawling Royal Mint Court site could lead to dissidents being attacked, surveillance, and even illegal detentions.
Chinese security guards and CCTV cameras already keep watch on the proposed site.
Carmen has reason to worry. In 2022, a Hong Kong protester was dragged into the Chinese consulate grounds in Manchester and reportedly assaulted by his attackers as British police tried to stop him.
With the new embassy, Carmen is afraid she and others in the movement may now be less safe. The Hong Kong arrest warrant against her alleges "incitement to secession and collusion with a foreign country."
A bounty letter was even sent out to her London neighbors.
Espionage Warnings and Symbolic Power
China purchased the Royal Mint Court property in 2018 for £255 million. The proposed embassy includes cultural facilities and a residence for 200, but the basement rooms seem to have no intended use, raising further questions.
Its location — close to London's financial district, Canary Wharf, and former life as a Barclays Bank trading floor during the Cold War — raises concerns of industrial espionage.
Hundreds of financial firms are served by fibre optic lines that run under the Thames less than a kilometer away. It is a method very difficult to detect, but also effective, according to the experts.
A veteran former official in a previous US administration said everything within half a mile was at risk. Although others contend that China will not have to rely on physical tapping at all, given its vast cyber capabilities, it remains a threat.
Neighbours of the site say they are concerned about their safety, their privacy, and a repeat of future demonstrations.
Local Mark Nygate has also expressed reservations over surveillance concerns and possible demonstrations.
Tens of thousands have already answered that opposition, including young Hong Kongers, who marched last August bearing an American flag; Uighurs, who know all too well what China considers central to its national security interests; Tibetans, whose religion and culture has been under assault for generations; and critics of Beijing's COVID-19 disinformation campaign around the globe.
Others — including one professor living nearly next door to the Argentine embassy — disagreed, saying protests there have generally gone smoothly and that moving would likely solve nothing.
Choices, political and Crelationshipselationship
In 2022, Tower Hamlets council rejected China's first planning application on health and tourism grounds. However, after Labour came to power in July 2024, China made the exact same application only a month later.
Xi was also said to have broached the embassy issue during his 23 August first call with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. It was then taken out of local hands by the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, following a request from International Trade Secretary David Lammy.
The UK is now seeking to re-engage with China after its relations took a backseat. The "golden era" was seen as coming to an end in 2022 when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the results.
With this decision, " experts say that it underscores Britain's long-standing tension between national security and economic pragmatism. Lord Peter Ricketts, a former chairman of the UK's National Security Council, also said that China is 'our adversary and our important commercial partners'.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith (pictured) said the government was 'chasing growth' by appeasing China and claimed it would be a mistake to sign off on the embassy.
There is a counterargument that having the Chinese in one facility would allow them to be more easily watched.
But Professor Steve Tsang said acceptance or rejection of the site would be unlikely to alter Beijing's business practices.
As for China, it is a very pragmatic beast—he will happen—continue on the EV exports—because of one planning decision, neither will he suddenly invest more money because there is now an approved new embassy.
And can best interests be worth turning a blind eye to the risk, especially when that espionage is on your doorstep, by an individual at the epicentre of the UK financial sector?
Politics
UK Divided Over China's Plan for Massive London Embassy

Hong Kong police have placed a £95,000 bounty on the head of a woman who went missing wearing an expensive Rolex watch and carrying more than 1kg of gold bars. Against her photograph, the directive given is: information or directly to the Chinese embassy.