Who is Yang Tengbo, the alleged Chinese spy linked to Britain's Prince Andrew?

LONDON: An alleged Chinese spy who cultivated close ties with Prince Andrew said on Monday (Dec 16) 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 on 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 is 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 UK-based companies on their operations in China.

He was reportedly once invited to Andrew's birthday party. He has also been photographed at events with senior UK politicians, including former prime ministers David Cameron.

Yang is reportedly a key member of Pitch@Palace China, an initiative by Prince Andrew to support entrepreneurs.

He worked as a junior civil servant in China before arriving in the UK 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.

Yang was granted the right to live and work in the UK for an indefinite period in 2013. He told authorities he had 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 UK in 2023. He was removed from a flight from Beijing to London in February 2023 and was told that Britain intended to ban him from the country.

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 criticised 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.

“When relations are good, and Chinese investment is sought, I am welcome in the UK. When relations sour, an anti-China stance is taken, and I am excluded,” he said in a statement.

“I have done nothing wrong or unlawful.

“The widespread description of me as a 'spy' is entirely untrue," Yang added, noting he had opted to waive his anonymity and was appealing against the UK decision.

Andrew's office said the royal met Yang “through official channels” and nothing of a sensitive nature was ever discussed.

WHAT IS THE UK'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 sought to repair 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, had been seeking to improperly influence members of parliament for years. A parliamentary researcher was arrested in 2023 on suspicion of providing sensitive information to China.

WHAT IS BEIJING'S RESPONSE?

China said on Tuesday that the claims of Chinese espionage were “preposterous”.

“The development of China-UK relations is in the common interests of both countries and is also conducive to promoting world economic growth and responding to global challenges,” Lin Jian, spokesman for Beijing's foreign ministry, said.

“It is hoped that the United Kingdom will work with China to accumulate more positive factors and demonstrate the two countries' innate character of cooperation, mutual benefits and common wins,” he added.

In a statement on its website, the Chinese embassy in London early on Tuesday urged “the UK side to immediately stop creating trouble, stop anti-China political manipulation, and stop undermining normal personnel exchanges between China and the UK”.