Yang Tengbo

In this Chinese name, the family name is Yang (杨).

Yang Tengbo
杨腾波
Born	(1974-03-21) 21 March 1974 Yunnan, China
Other names	Chris Yang
Alma mater	Yunnan University University of York
Organization	United Front Work Department
Known for	Suspected Chinese spy
Political party	Chinese Communist Party

Yang Tengbo (Chinese: 杨腾波, born (1974-03-21)21 March 1974), also known as Chris Yang, is a Chinese businessman who lived in the UK for over two decades, whose association with Prince Andrew has raised suspicions of potential political interference on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Yang was barred from the UK in 2023 following allegations of undisclosed links to the CCP's United Front Work Department, an organization linked to Beijing's influence operations abroad. A UK tribunal upheld the decision to bar Yang, acknowledging that while there was 'not an abundance of evidence' in some instances and there could be an 'innocent explanation' for others, it ultimately concluded that there was 'sufficient' material to support MI5's assessment that he posed a security risk. Yang denies being a spy, asserting that his activities were legitimate and misinterpreted in the current political climate. His case has sparked debate over China's alleged influence efforts in Western nations, though no evidence has surfaced to confirm Yang engaged in covert intelligence gathering.

Career

Yang was born in Yunnan, China on (1974-03-21)21 March 1974. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in history from the School of History and Archives at Yunnan University in 1995, and subsequently became a civil servant in China.

In 2002, Yang moved to London. He studied language at a London university for one year, before taking his master's degree in public administration and public policy at the University of York. In 2005, he founded Newland UK, a tour operator which later became a business consultancy firm. In 2020, Newland UK changed its name to Hampton Group International. Hampton International specialised in relations between British and Chinese companies.

He is an honorary member of the 48 Group Club, a London-based nonprofit organisation dedicated to promoting trade between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the United Kingdom. UK authorities believed he had associations with the United Front Work Department(UFWD). In an interview with state media outlet China Daily in 2022, he said that he took part in the Chinese government's Belt and Road Initiative in the United Kingdom.

Spying allegations

Yang came under scrutiny for his relationship with Prince Andrew.

In November 2021, Yang was stopped at a port, where a letter from Dominic Hampshire, an adviser to Prince Andrew, Duke of York, was found on his devices. The letter referenced Yang being invited to Andrew's birthday party. Of Yang's relationship with Andrew, Hampshire wrote, "I also hope that it is clear to you where you sit with my principal ... Outside of his closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on." Yang was Andrew's guest at Buckingham Palace, St James's Palace and Windsor Castle. Another document found included details of the "main talking points" for a telephone call between Yang and Andrew. It described Andrew as being in a "desperate situation", saying that he would "grab on to anything".

In March 2023, Suella Braverman, then Home Secretary, barred Yang from the United Kingdom. He appealed to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) in July. The judges heard that in a briefing to Braverman, officials said that Yang's unique relationship with Andrew "could be leveraged for political interference purposes by the Chinese State". The challenge was dismissed, and the Home Office confirmed that Yang would be barred from the UK as he was considered to have carried out "covert and deceptive activity" on behalf of the CCP.

In August 2023, Yang submitted a second appeal to the SIAC against the decision. Hearings took place in July 2024. The tribunal heard that Yang had claimed to have only limited links to the Chinese state, and that he been told by one of Andrew's advisors that he could deal with potential investors in China on Andrew's behalf. In December, judge Charles Bourne, judge Stephen Smith and Stewart Eldon dismissed the challenge. They wrote that Braverman had been "entitled to conclude that the applicant represented a risk to the national security of the United Kingdom, and ... that his exclusion was justified and proportionate". They said "[Yang] won a significant degree, one could say an unusual degree, of trust from a senior member of the royal family ... It is obvious that the pressures on the duke could make him vulnerable to the misuse of that sort of influence". After the ruling, Andrew's office stated that he had "ceased all contact" with Yang, and that the two had only ever met "through official channels, with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed".

On 16 December 2024, High Court judge Martin Chamberlain ruled that Yang could be publicly named. Prior to this, he had only been known as "H6". Later the same day, Yang issued a statement through his lawyers, explaining that he requested the lifting of the secrecy order "due to the high level of speculation and misreporting." "The widespread description of me as a 'spy' is entirely untrue," the statement read. "On their own fact finding, even the three judges in this case concluded that there was 'not an abundance of evidence' against me, their decision was 'finely balanced', and there could be an 'innocent explanation' for my activities. 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. I built my private life in the UK over two decades and love the country as my second home. I would never do anything to harm the interests of the UK."

Yang has met former prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May, and former chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne.

See also

• United front
• Chinese intelligence activity abroad
• Christine Lee