| Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 中华人民共和国 驻大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国大使馆 | |
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| Location | Marylebone, London |
| Address | 49–51 Portland Place, London W1B 1JL |
| Coordinates | 51°31′16″N 0°08′44″W / 51.52102°N 0.14548°W |
| Ambassador | Zheng Zeguang |
The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the diplomatic mission of China in the United Kingdom, located in London.[1] Established in 1877 as the Chinese Legation, the London mission was China's first permanent overseas diplomatic mission. It has served as the diplomatic mission of the Manchu Qing Empire, the Republic of China, and (since 1972) the People's Republic of China. It was the location of the Qing Empire's detention of Sun Yat-sen, an important episode in the Chinese revolution of 1911. It remains today the focal point for events relating to China held in the United Kingdom, including celebrations in 2012 to commemorate 40 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and the People's Republic of China.[2]
Most applications by UK citizens for visas to China are not handled by the embassy, however, but are instead processed by the China Visa Applications Centre, also located in London.[3] There is a constant police presence outside the embassy.
China also maintains several other buildings in London: an Education Section at 50 Portland Place, a Defence Section at 25 Lyndhurst Road, Hampstead, a Commercial Section at 16 Lancaster Gate, Paddington, a Cultural Section at 11 West Heath Road, Hampstead and a Science & Technology Section at 10 Greville Place, Maida Vale.[4] In addition, there are Chinese consulates-general in Manchester, Edinburgh and Belfast.[5]
The embassy has in recent years been the site of protests against actions of the Chinese government, including protests against the imprisonment of artist Ai Weiwei,[6] and in favour of Tibetan independence.[7] There has been a Falun Gong protester sitting opposite the embassy for many years; this is referenced in the novel Saturday by Ian McEwan.
Despite rumours in 2013 that the embassy was to move from Portland Place to a new development in Nine Elms,[8] in 2018 the Chinese government purchased Royal Mint Court with plans to develop the site for a new embassy building.[9]
Liu Xiaoming served as the Ambassador of China to the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2021, under Chinese leaders Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping. He retired as ambassador in January 2021 and was replaced by Zheng Zeguang.[10]
- ^ "The London Diplomatic List" (PDF). 13 December 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2013.
- ^ Remarks by H.E. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming, Liu Xiaoming, chinese-embassy.org.uk, Accessed on 5 August 2012.
- ^ Chinese Embassy London Archived 8 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Dai Davies, chineseembassylondon.co.uk, Accessed on 5 August 2012.
- ^ "The London Diplomatic List" (PDF). 13 December 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2013.
- ^ "Consulate-General in the UK". Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ The Guardian, Abby d'Arcy Hughes, guardian.co.uk, Accessed on 12 August 2012.
- ^ Tibet Custom Editors, tibetcustom.com, Accessed on 12 August 2012.
- ^ Prynn, Jonathan (21 August 2013). "Revealed: London's £3 BILLION embassy sell-off bonanza". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ "China acquires London Royal Mint Court site for new embassy". europe-re.com. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
- ^ Ng, Teddy; Guo, Rui (26 December 2020). "China's ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming set to retire". South China Morning Post. Guangzhou. Retrieved 27 December 2020.