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Christine Lee, a lawyer accused of trying to interfere in British politics on behalf of the Chinese government, lost her legal case against Britain’s MI5 intelligence agency on Tuesday.
The tribunal’s decision came a day after British authorities named Chinese national Yang Tengbo as an alleged spy who had close ties to Prince Andrew and was photographed with two British prime ministers.
Here’s the latest.
Who is Yang Tengbo?
Yang, 50, also known as Chris Yang, is listed as a director of Hampton Group International, a business consultancy that advises British companies on their operations in China. He has been photographed at events with senior British politicians, including former prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May.
Yang is said to be a key member of Pitch@Palace China, Prince Andrew’s initiative to support entrepreneurs.
Yang 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 from York University before starting his business.
He received the right to live and work in Great Britain for an indefinite period in 2013.
What happened to Prince Andrew?
Details of Yang’s case emerged last week in court, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), which upheld the British authorities’ decision to ban Yang from entering the UK in 2023. The Home Office said he was believed to have carried out “secret and deceptive activities” for the Chinese Communist Party.
Judges agreed with MI5, Britain’s domestic intelligence service, that Yang “poses a risk to national security” and dismissed his appeal. The tribunal heard that in 2021 authorities found documents showing how close Yang was to Prince Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles.
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One letter from a senior adviser to Andrew told Yang: “Outside of (Andrew’s) closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree where many, many people would like to be.”
Britain’s Home Office told Yang that they had reason to believe he had “engaged, or had previously engaged, in covert and fraudulent activities on behalf of the United Front Work Department (UFWD), which is an arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) state apparatus.” “, in the letter cited in the SIAC ruling.
The tribunal said that when Yang was interviewed by immigration authorities, he did not give a full description of his relationship with the prince.
Authorities have not released what information Yang allegedly obtained or sought to obtain. But the court cited a 2022 statement from the director of MI5 in which the United Front Department’s aims were described as buying and exerting influence, amplifying pro-China voices and silencing those critical of the Chinese government’s authority.
Who is Christine Lee?
The UK Security Service issued a security alert to all MPs in January 2022 warning that London-based lawyer Christine Lee was knowingly involved in “political interference activities in the UK” in conjunction with the United Front Department of Labor.
Lee’s firm, Christine Lee & Co., provided legal services mainly to the British Chinese community and acted as legal advisor to the Chinese Embassy in London. According to official records, she donated £500,000 (Cdn906,000) to Labor MP Barry Gardiner, mostly for office expenses. Her son, Daniel Wilks, worked as Gardiner’s assistant for five years.
Lee was once recognized by the Prime Minister’s Office during Theresa May’s tenure for “promoting engagement, understanding and cooperation between the Chinese and British communities in the UK”.
On Tuesday, three judges at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal unanimously rejected Lee’s claims, saying MI5 issued the political interference alert for “legitimate reasons”.
Answer from Beijing
Yang vehemently denied the espionage claims and said he was a victim of a changing political climate that has led to rising tensions between Britain and China.
“I did nothing wrong or illegal,” he said in a statement. “The widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is completely untrue.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian called the spying allegations against Yang “ridiculous” on Tuesday, while the Chinese embassy in Britain condemned British lawmakers for “smearing” China.
Lee, who has not been charged with a crime, claimed the security alert against her was political and violated her human rights.
Answer in the British Parliament
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was concerned about the challenge posed by China, but stuck to his government’s strategy of engagement and cooperation with Beijing.
Starmer, who took office this summer, has sought to mend frayed ties and in November became the first British leader to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping since 2018.
Opposition MP Iain Duncan Smith, a leading critic of Beijing, said it glossed over the clear threat China posed.
“The reality is that there are many, many more involved in exactly this type of espionage that is going on,” he said.
Another royal headache
Andrew’s office said on Friday that the royal family met with Yang “through official channels” and that nothing sensitive was ever discussed. The statement did not specify a date when the prince “ceased all contact” with Yang.
In 2001, Andrew was appointed the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment. But he was forced to step down in 2011 amid growing concerns about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to soliciting a minor into prostitution.
Take a look back at how Prince Andrew exploded over what many believe was a disastrous interview with the BBC, in which he spoke about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and denied any wrongdoing.
Andrew gave a disastrous BBC interview in 2019 explaining the nature of the Epstein relationship. Andrew vehemently denied sexually abusing a teenage girl he met through Epstein, but in 2021 he settled a lawsuit she brought, donating a certain amount of money to the plaintiff’s charity.
Early the following year, Queen Elizabeth stripped him of his honorary military service and he resigned from the leadership of various charities.
Britain’s most prominent anti-monarchy group has called for a parliamentary inquiry into alleged royal corruption.
“When a Chinese spy befriends the royal family, they want access to the British state. We need to know if the royals have given them what they want,” said Graham Smith, the head of the Republic.
