British Prince Andrew - brother of King Charles III, is at the center of another scandal in Britain. A few years ago it became clear that Andrew had a relationship with the American businessman Jeffrey Epstein, who is now deceased, who was tried for molestation of minors. Now the British prince is involved in a spy scandal.
The authorities in Britain claim that Chinese citizen Yang Tengbo built an "unusual level of trust" with Prince Andrew and developed relationships with politicians who could be "used" by China. Details of the charges against Yang emerged last week when a British court upheld an order banning him from the UK on national security grounds after a lengthy legal battle.
Yang is also said to have met former prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May during his nearly two decades living and working in the UK before being banned by an immigration tribunal on security grounds - a decision he is challenging.
Who is Yang Tengbo?
Tengbo Yang, also known as Chris Yang, was born in China in 1974, the BBC reports. He first arrived in the UK in 2002 and studied in London for a year before completing a master's degree in public administration and policy at the University of York.
The Chinese businessman was publicly listed as a director of five different companies in the UK. In 2013, he was granted indefinite leave to remain in the country. Yang told the court that before the pandemic he had spent an average of up to two weeks each month in the UK. After his name was announced on Monday, he described Britain as his "second home" and said he "would never do anything to harm it".
He also played a major role in organising the first UK-China business leaders' meeting, where he also met with the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne. Together with the then Prime Minister, David Cameron, Osborne wanted to usher in a "Golden Era" in relations between Beijing and London. Some conservatives are now criticizing this behavior because it naively underestimated the risk to British national security.
What is Yang's connection to Prince Andrew?
British authorities have discovered a letter from Dominic Hampshire, a senior adviser to Prince Andrew, which says that Yang could represent the prince in contacts with potential investors in China.
According to the Home Office, this is evidence that Mr. Yang was able to "create relationships between prominent figures in Britain and senior Chinese officials" who "could be used for the purposes of political interference" by Beijing, writes the BBC.
A document containing a list of "key points of discussion" with Prince Andrew was also found. It said the prince was "in a desperate situation and would do anything".
Prince Andrew said he had "cut off all contact" with Yang after receiving government advice, but did not specify when the communication stopped, the British public media reported. His office said they met "through official channels" and "no sensitive information" was ever discussed.
Yang denies, so does Beijing
Yang categorically denies the allegations against him. He told the court that he had no ties to any politicians in China, had never been a member of the Chinese Communist Party, and had never carried out activities on its behalf or for its benefit.
A spokesman for Beijing's Foreign Ministry said that "it is not worth refuting this kind of unfair accusation," adding to a statement last week that said "some individuals in Britain always seek to fabricate groundless "spy" stories targeting China."
Mina Kirkova Editor