China’s plans to build a new embassy near the Tower of London stall amid local opposition

By DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — China’s plans to build a new embassy near the Tower of London have stalled following local opposition to what would be the biggest diplomatic compound in Britain. The borough of Tower Hamlets, the local government council responsible for the area, blocked the project in February, citing concerns about the increased risk of terror attacks, protests and traffic in an area visited by millions of tourists each year. Tower Hamlets says Chinese authorities had until Thursday to appeal the decision to the U.K. government but did not.