UK risks trade war with China if London 'super embassy' is not approved

Dr Sari Arho Havrén, a China analyst at defence think tank Rusi, said Beijing usually took “several targeted actions” to retaliate against a country. As well as imposing trade barriers, it could employ diplomatic retaliation, “such as imposing visa restrictions on British officials or journalists, and extending controls on British nationals or businesses in Hong Kong”. She added that it was likely China would beef up anti-British propaganda in Chinese state media, a tactic it has employed against South Korea, Japan, and in cases involving H&M and the NBA. “This will likely amplify security tensions and reinforce perceptions of China as a threat, making it very difficult to reverse that assessment,” she said. “All this serves as a reminder that it is increasingly difficult to promote economic relations in isolation from national security.”