Who is Yang Tengbo? The alleged Chinese spy linked to the Duke of York

Alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo is said to have been a “close” confidant of the Duke of York and was pictured with politicians including Lord David Cameron and Baroness Theresa May.

Mr Yang, 50, was known only as H6 until an anonymity order was lifted on Monday.

Mr Yang – who is also known as Chris Yang – challenged his ban on entering the UK at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) in July, but lost his appeal last week.

What do we know about Mr Yang’s background?

Mr Yang was born on March 21 1974, according to information in the SIAC ruling.

He studied at university in China and then worked as a junior civil servant in China for a number of years, the 53-page document stated.

Mr Yang came to the UK in 2002, studying language in London for one year, then taking a master’s degree at the University of York in Public Administration and Public Policy.

The ruling stated that Mr Yang originally intended to return to China to advance his career in the public sector there, but “he perceived opportunities for activity bridging the gap between China and the UK”, according to his evidence.

Since at least 2005, Mr Yang has divided his time between the two countries, then was granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK in 2013.

He is listed as a director of Hampton Group International, a business consultancy which says it acts as a bridge between China and the rest of the world.

What are his links to Andrew?

Mr Yang was the founder-partner of Pitch@Palace China. The Pitch@Palace initiative was Andrew’s scheme to support entrepreneurs.

The judges in the ruling said before the Covid pandemic, Mr Yang spent one to two weeks in the UK each month, and “considers the UK to be his ‘second home’”.

Mr Yang forged links with the duke, and according to the Court Circular, had engagements with him on June 25 and June 29 2018.

Last week, Andrew said he “ceased all contact” with the businessman when concerns were first raised about him.

The duke met the individual through “official channels” with “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed”, a statement from his office said.

At a hearing in July, the specialist tribunal heard that the businessman was told by an adviser to Andrew that he could act on the duke’s behalf when dealing with potential investors in China, and that Mr Yang had been invited to Andrew’s birthday party in 2020.

What action have the UK authorities taken?

On November 6 2021, Mr Yang was subject to a port stop under the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act and surrendered digital devices including his mobile telephone.

He lodged a challenge against the retention of the copy data to the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office in February 2022, and a Judicial Commissioner initially directed that the copies be destroyed but, on appeal, the Investigatory Powers Commissioner allowed them to be retained, the SIAC ruling said.

During that litigation, Mr Yang was “informed that he was believed to be associated with an arm of the Chinese state known as the United Front Work Department”.

On February 16 2023, the businessman was “off-boarded” from a flight from Beijing to London and was told that the home secretary was in the process of making a decision to exclude him from the UK.

And the next month, then-home secretary Suella Braverman said he should be excluded from the UK.

In a briefing for the home secretary in July 2023, officials said Mr Yang had been in a position to generate relationships between prominent UK figures and senior Chinese officials “that could be leveraged for political interference purposes”.

They also said that he had downplayed his relationship with the Chinese state, which combined with his relationship with Andrew, represented a threat to national security.

What has Mr Yang said?

Mr Yang has insisted he has “done nothing wrong or unlawful”.

He said it was “entirely untrue” to claim he was involved in espionage, adding he was a victim of a “political climate” which had seen a rise in tensions between the UK and China.

In a statement after a High Court judge lifted an order granting him anonymity, Mr Yang said: “Due to the high level of speculation and misreporting in the media and elsewhere, I have asked my legal team to disclose my identity.

“I have done nothing wrong or unlawful and the concerns raised by the Home Office against me are ill-founded. The widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue.”