The Chinese embassy in London has accused some UK parliamentarians of having a “twisted mentality towards China”, after the identity of a businessman accused of being a spy was revealed on Monday.
A Chinese embassy spokesperson said on Tuesday that “anti-China clamours” were an attempt to “smear China, target against the Chinese community in the UK and undermine normal personnel exchanges between China and the UK”.
On Monday, the high court in London lifted an anonymity order that had been in place in the case of a Chinese businessman and confidant of Prince Andrew who is accused of being a Chinese spy.
The man at the heart of the row, Yang Tengbo, had asked for the court to lift the anonymity order so that he could challenge what he describes as “ill-founded” claims against him.
Several MPs had been considering using their parliamentary privilege to name Yang before the anonymity order was lifted. Iain Duncan Smith, a former Conservative party leader and strong critic of the Chinese government, said on Monday that the allegations surrounding Yang were “the tip of the iceberg” of Chinese influence in the UK.
Yang was excluded from the UK in 2023 by the then home secretary, Suella Braverman, on the grounds that it was “conducive to the public good”. For the past two decades Yang has divided his life between the UK and China, and in 2013 he had been granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
Yang is accused of being a member of the United Front Work Department, the arm of the Chinese Communist party (CCP) responsible for overseas influence. He denies being a Chinese spy.
In a statement, Yang said he was a victim of souring UK-China relations. “The political climate has changed and unfortunately I have fallen victim to this. When relations are good and Chinese investment is sought, I am welcome in the UK. When relations sour, an anti-China stance is taken and I am excluded.” He said he was planning to appeal against the decision to exclude him from the UK.
The Chinese embassy spokesperson said: “The United Front led by the [CCP] endeavours to bring together various political parties and people from all walks of life, ethnic groups and organisations to promote cooperation between the [CCP] and people who are not members of it and promote people-to-people exchanges and friendship with other countries.
“This is above board and beyond reproach. Though some UK politicians attempted to demonise China’s United Front work, they are doomed to fail.”
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Yang’s case has raised questions about how the UK government deals with influential Chinese nationals, at a time when the security services have highlighted the threat posed to the UK by political interference from China.
On Monday, Keir Starmer defended his government’s greater openness towards Beijing, saying: “It’s important to engage.”
