Thanks for the round-up but but I'm sorry there is little possibility of China having a European HQ in Britain. First and foremost, Britain is out of the EU, and it makes no sense from a Chinese mainland perspective to have a European HQ in Britain. Second, the Chinese ambassadors in Brussels, London, Berlin, and Paris are all at the vice-ministerial level. It's, therefore, bureaucratically impossible to have a London HQ for Europe.
And yet, the proposed increased in scale from 830 to 20,000 sq m requires explanation. The failure properly to do so merely invites conspiracy theories. Most dangerously, if one cares about China UK relations, are suggestions that the UK is being bullied into allowing the development to go ahead. This will merely provide red meat for the circling hawks - not least of all the new potentate in Washington
Actually, comparing the two properties, I suspect that vanity has something to do with it.
Thanks for the round-up but but I'm sorry there is little possibility of China having a European HQ in Britain. First and foremost, Britain is out of the EU, and it makes no sense from a Chinese mainland perspective to have a European HQ in Britain. Second, the Chinese ambassadors in Brussels, London, Berlin, and Paris are all at the vice-ministerial level. It's, therefore, bureaucratically impossible to have a London HQ for Europe.
And yet, the proposed increased in scale from 830 to 20,000 sq m requires explanation. The failure properly to do so merely invites conspiracy theories. Most dangerously, if one cares about China UK relations, are suggestions that the UK is being bullied into allowing the development to go ahead. This will merely provide red meat for the circling hawks - not least of all the new potentate in Washington
Actually, comparing the two properties, I suspect that vanity has something to do with it.