British court names alleged Chinese spy by Prince Andrew

British court names alleged Chinese spy by Prince Andrew

An alleged Chinese spy that maintained a close relationship with Prince Andrew was identified by a British court. This case throws a light on the influence of China on the UK institutions.

identification of the spy

The man, Yang Tengbo, was identified after a judge decided that his anonymity should be lifted. According to PA Media, Yang also became known as Chris Yang and apparently developed an "unusual level of trust" for Prince Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles.

connections to Prince Andrew

Yang was a co -founder of Pitch@Palace China, an initiative for entrepreneurs launched in 2014 by Andrew that spread in China. In a recent tribunal it became known that Yang was authorized to act on behalf of Andrew during business meetings with potential Chinese investors in Great Britain. He was also invited to Andrew's 60th birthday in 2020.

yang's statement

yang expressed that he had done "nothing wrong or illegal" and that the widespread name was "completely untrue" as a "spy". Andrew's office said that the prince had contacted Yang after obtaining advice from the government. "The duke met the individual over official channels, although anything was never discussed by sensitive nature," it said from his office.

growing concern about China's influence

In Westminster, concern for China's influence in British politics is increasingly growing. This is only the latest example of Beijing's suspected intervention. A report by the parliamentary committee for intelligence and security from 2023 describes that China aims to influence people in the British political system.

connections to the United Front Work Department

yang is accused of working for China's United Front Work Department (UFWD), a department of the Governing Communist Party, which aims to gain influence both in Germany and abroad. The report describes the UFWD, which is working on “ensuring that politicians and high -ranking personalities in foreign states support the China Communist Party or at least do not criticize China or counteract their narrative.”

case as the top of the iceberg

yang is part of a growing number of people who are accused of spying on behalf of China within British institutions. Two men, including a parliamentary researcher, are waiting for their process to have violated the Official Secrets Act on behalf of China, which they deny.

political reactions

The former chairman of the conservative party, Iain Duncan Smith, described the incident as "the tip of the iceberg". According to him, "in reality, many, many other people are involved in exactly this form of spy". The British Prime Minister Keir Strander confirmed on Monday that one shows the challenges that China shows, but rejected claims to tighten British China policy. In November, Straßer had spoken to China’s President Xi Jinping in November for six years and confirmed that the approach was commitment, especially on topics such as climate change, while one must be challenging in human rights issues.