LONDON — An alleged Chinese spy who cultivated said Monday he has done “nothing wrong or unlawful” as Britain’s government faced questions about what it is doing to thwart security threats from China.
British authorities allege businessman Yang Tengbo — known only as “H6” until a High Court judge lifted an anonymity order Monday — was working on behalf of the United Front Work Department, an arm of the Chinese Communist Party that is used to influence foreign entities.
It’s the most high-profile case in a series of espionage scandals in recent years that involved suspected or confirmed Chinese intelligence-gathering in Britain’s establishment, including in Parliament.
Here’s a look at Yang’s case:
Who is Yang Tengbo?
Yang, 50, also known as Chris Yang, is listed as a director of Hampton Group International, a business consultancy advising U.K.-based companies on their operations in China. He has been photographed with senior U.K. politicians, including former Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May, at events.
Yang is reportedly a key member of Pitch@Palace China, an initiative by Prince Andrew to support entrepreneurs.
Yang worked as a junior civil servant in China before arriving in the U.K. in 2002 to study. He earned a master’s degree in public administration and public policy at the University of York before starting his business.
He was granted the right to live and work in the U.K. for an indefinite period in 2013. Yang told authorities he has spent regular time in Britain and considered it his second home.
What happened with Prince Andrew?
Details about Yang’s case emerged last week at a special immigration tribunal, which upheld a decision by British authorities to ban Yang from entering the U.K. in 2023. The Home Office said he was believed to have carried out “covert and deceptive activity” for the Chinese Communist Party.
Judges agreed with MI5, Britain’s domestic intelligence, that Yang “represented a risk to the national security” and dismissed his appeal.
The tribunal heard that in 2021, authorities found documents that showed how close Yang was to Prince Andrew, King Charles III’s younger brother.
One letter from a senior adviser to Andrew told Yang he should “never underestimate the strength” of his relationship with the royal. “Outside of his closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on,” the adviser wrote.
The tribunal said that when Yang was interviewed by immigration authorities he failed to give a full account of his relationship with the prince, which it said had a “covert and clandestine” element.
Authorities have not made public what information Yang allegedly obtained or was seeking to obtain. But the tribunal cited a 2022 statement by the MI5 director that described the United Front Work Department’s aims as buying and exerting influence, amplifying pro-China voices and silencing those critical of the Chinese government’s authority.
Andrew has been repeatedly criticized for his links to wealthy foreigners and prompted critics to suggest that those individuals were trying to buy access to the royal family.
What has been said about the allegations?
Yang strongly denied the espionage claims and said he was a victim of a changing political climate that had seen a rise in tensions between Britain and China.
“I have done nothing wrong or unlawful,” he said in a statement. “The widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue.”
Andrew’s office said the royal met Yang “through official channels” and nothing of a sensitive nature was ever discussed.
What is the U.K.’s relationship with China?
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he is concerned about the challenge posed by China, but stood by his government’s strategy of engagement and cooperation with Beijing.
Starmer, who took office this summer, has frayed ties and in November became the first British leader to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping since 2018.
Opposition lawmaker Iain Duncan Smith, a leading critic of Beijing, said that glosses over the clear threat China poses. Yang was already a known member of China’s United Front Work Department, he told Parliament, and should not have been able to gain access to the royal family without scrutiny.
“The reality is that there are many, many more involved in exactly this kind of espionage that’s taking place,” he said.
In 2022 British intelligence officials warned politicians that Christine Lee, a British-Chinese lawyer, for years. in 2023 on suspicion of providing sensitive information to China.
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Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.
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