Why Would Britain Trade a London Icon to China for Peanuts?

There is a corner of England that will be forever Hong Kong. It’s the narrow strip of pavement in front of the former Royal Mint in London, where at least 2,000 demonstrators gathered last Saturday to protest the proposed siting of a vast new Chinese embassy. Five years ago, Beijing crushed a popular democracy movement in the former British colony; exiles exercising rights of free speech and assembly that were canceled at home may yet get to mark a consolation victory over the Communist Party-ruled superpower.

On balance, that’s unlikely. It's clear that the UK government intends to approve the mega-embassy, which would be Europe’s largest diplomatic compound and 10 times the size of China’s existing premises in west London, as part of its efforts to reset relations with Beijing and spur economic growth. At a minimum, though, the weekend rally has caused some embarrassment — undermining the official rationale for assenting to the development while reminding observers of the applicant’s record. Protesters, many waving banners that by now would land them a long prison sentence in Hong Kong, will be reveling in the payback.