“I am a victim of the political climate”

The Chinese businessman who managed to enter the inner circle of Prince Andrew, the king’s brother Charles IIIhas been identified this Monday as Yang Tengbowho has denied that he is a spy for the Beijing Government.

After days of rumors in the press and the internet, the High Court of London has given the green light to the dissemination of the identity of Yang, whom the British Government banned from entering the country in March 2023 considering him, in part due to his contacts with Andrés, a risk to national security.

In a statement through his lawyers, Yang, who was a resident of the United Kingdomhas assured that he has done “nothing bad or illegal” and maintains that “the widely spread description of him as a spy” is entirely false.

The 50-year-old entrepreneur reveals that he himself has decided to renounce anonymity and anticipates that he will appeal the court ruling of December 12 that ratified the veto imposed last year by the then Minister of the Interior, Suella Braverman.

Yang alleges in his note that Interior’s suspicions are “unfounded” and points out that during the trial before the semi-secret Special Immigration Appeals Commission, which analyzes expulsions for security reasons, he was not allowed access to the evidence against him.

“The three judges in the case, based on their own investigations, concluded that there was ‘not a wealth of evidence’ against me, that their decision had been ‘finely calibrated’ and that there could be ‘an innocent explanation’ for my activities. The media communications have not reported on this,” he says.

“The political climate has changed and, unfortunately, I have been a victim of this,” he stated in his statement.

“When relations are good and Chinese investments are sought, I am welcome in the United Kingdom. “When relations deteriorate, an anti-Chinese stance is adopted and I am excluded,” he adds.

Yang, who also had contact with former Conservative prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May, explains that he is a self-made businessman who has always wanted to “build bridges between East and West.”

“I have built my private life in the United Kingdom for two decades and I love the country that is my second home,” he declared.

Espionage suspicions

His identity has become known amid accusations by some Tory MPs, such as their former leader Iain Duncan Smith, that the Chinese Government is spying ‘in plain sight’ in the United Kingdom and that the case of this businessman “is the tip of the iceberg.”

For its part, the Labor Government has defended its “weighted” approach to China, which combines economic interests with the protection of national security.

During the judicial process before the Commission, communications with an advisor to the Duke of York were revealed that showed that Yang was a “close confidant” of the latter and that he sat “at the top” of his trusted people.

The second son of the late Elizabeth II, retired from public life since 2019 due to several scandals, invited him to his birthday in 2020 and authorized him to represent him before Chinese investors.

In a message taken from the mobile phone confiscated from Yang when he was detained at the border in 2021, the royal advisor warned him about how to approach Andrés during a call.

“IMPORTANT: Manage expectations. It is very important not to set expectations ‘too high’: you are in a desperate situation and will hold on to anything,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Duke assured on Friday that he ceased “all contact” with the businessman when he was warned by the Government and that they never discussed “anything of a sensitive nature.”