State controlled companies submitted letters supporting the embassy

Chinese tech firms banned on national security grounds in both the UK and the United States lobbied for Beijing’s new embassy in London, growing fears it could be used as an overseas “spy centre”.

State-controlled company ZTE Mobile, which was deemed by GCHQ to pose a risk to British telecommunications infrastructure that “cannot be mitigated”, urged officials to approve the scheme, The Sunday Times first reported.

In a letter to the government’s planning inquiry, the company described the proposed development of Royal Mint Court, the building located in east London that China purchased for £255m, as “beautiful”.

Meanwhile fellow state-owned company China Mobile, which has close links to the People’s Liberation Army, a

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