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Yang Tengbo, a Chinese businessman accused of spying, has been identified as the person banned from the UK by authorities. Yang is alleged to have developed close connections with Prince Andrew and British politicians to be used by China. The claims came to light after a lengthy legal dispute saw a Home Office order banning Yang from the UK on national security grounds upheld.
Prior to the ban, Yang had founded consultancy firm Hampton Group International and been publicly listed as a director of several firms in the UK. He had been granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK in 2013 and referred to the country as his “second home.” However, in November 2021, Yang was stopped at the border, questioned, and asked to hand over his phone and other digital devices. Authorities claimed to have found evidence of links between Yang and the Chinese government’s covert United Front Work Department.
While Yang protested that he was never tasked with interfering with UK interests, his membership in London-based organization the 48 Group Club – which promotes UK-China trade – reportedly led security officials to conclude that his position could be used by Beijing to sway UK politics. In addition, a senior advisor to Prince Andrew is said to have claimed that Yang was well-placed to connect the prince with Chinese investors.
Following the ban, Yang denied the allegations and launched a legal challenge. Yang’s lawyers asked for the government to disclose the allegations against him and for an opportunity to make his case, but then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman determined that Yang’s residency rights should be cancelled.
A Beijing foreign ministry spokesperson has dismissed the accusations, stating that people in the UK are “always eager to fabricate baseless ‘spy’ stories targeting China.” Yang has maintained his innocence and vowed to appeal the ruling.
Yang’s case represents one of several instances in which Beijing’s United Front Work Department has been linked to alleged interference in Western countries. According to researchers, the organization often tries to infiltrate Chinese community groups in foreign countries in order to further extend China’s cultural influence
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