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[catmincer]

This just came up in the news here and has the potential to blow up especially considering we have an election in 10 days.

National MP Trained by Chinese spies

A National Party MP who studied at an elite Chinese spy school before moving to New Zealand has attracted the interest of our Security Intelligence Service.

The list MP Jian Yang did not mention in his work or political CVs a decade he spent in the People's Liberation Army-Air Force Engineering College or the Luoyang language institute run by China's equivalent of the United States National Security Agency.

That agency, the Third Department, conducts spying activities for China.

An expert in Chinese intelligence Peter Mattis told Newsroom from the US that someone who attended and then taught at the Air Force Engineering College and attended the language institute would almost certainly have been an officer in China's PLA and member of the Communist Party.

It is not known if the Speaker, David Carter, or Prime Ministers John Key or Bill English, who were the ministers in charge of the SIS, have been briefed on Yang's background or the SIS interest. Comment is being sought from Bill English.

National Party President Peter Goodfellow claimed in an interview with the Financial Times this morning that Yang's education in China was widely known in New Zealand.

Goodfellow said he had “no idea” about any SIS investigation into Yang.

I dare say this will be a rather large story especially if proven true. I would note that in New Zealand it's extremely of media to post stuff like this without evidence.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

when you say proper by spy agency, so you mean like your FBI and counterintelligence agency or your CIA and foreign intel agency because if it's the later that's kinda worrying even if the charges are true

 

[vonStirlitz]

How could this not have been vetted and known? Surely it is state security 101 that you do deep background on officials and politicians and, if there are any gaps (10 years seems like a big gap...) you probe and you lock out that individual?

 

[Moonkid]

Haha of course I see this news on Gaf first. I wonder what will come of it 👀

 

[Hato-kun]

Reading national news on GAF is weird.

I, for one, welcome our new Chinese Spy Overlords.

 

[Freestyler]

Ohhhhh yes. Please let this return Jacinda to the top of the polls!!

 

[Dyle]

Kind of amazing that attending a military college for Sigint never came up in the prior elections. I suppose it's never too early for an October surprise, especially when the election is in September

 

[Trojita]

when you say proper by spy agency, so you mean like your FBI and counterintelligence agency or your CIA and foreign intel agency because if it's the later that's kinda worrying even if the charges are true

It says in the OP. Equivalent to the NSA.

 

[Radian8]

Absolutely crazy story. I really hope that newsroom can back this up, if they can it's a smoking gun. The share amount of money this dude has brought in to the National party is nuts.

As for the polls last night, keep an eye out for the Colmar Brunton poll on Thursday, not quite panic time yet. Jacinda can do this!

 

[Freestyler]

Absolutely crazy story. I really hope that newsroom can back this up, if they can it's a smoking gun. The share amount of money this dude has brought in to the National party is nuts.

As for the polls last night, keep an eye out for the Colmar Brunton poll on Thursday, not quite panic time yet. Jacinda can do this!

I hope they can back it up too. Bill is in no way as much of a smooth talker as John Key was, so I don't think he'd be able to talk/weasel his way out of this one.

Hopefully Jacinda goes on the attack if they can verify what's going on. National are going so negative with their "Let's tax this" campaign so I say let's fight fire with fire.

 

[Radian8]

It certainly looks like she is going on the attack now since National are wanting to play dirty, even doing attack ads now. She'll play hard ball but still remain positive.

Also, there are stories flying around on social media that the 3 News Poll last night was an Outlier and even possibly 'compromised' in that it's out of the 95% confidence interval. So who knows. Hopefully the next Poll will show this.

 

[catmincer]

It certainly looks like she is going on the attack now since National are wanting to play dirty, even doing attack ads now. She'll play hard ball but still remain positive.

Also, there are stories flying around on social media that the 3 News Poll last night was an Outlier and even possibly 'compromised' in that it's out of the 95% confidence interval. So who knows. Hopefully the next Poll will show this.

God I hope so. 3 more years of National makes me 🤢

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

Nice background checks NZ

 

[StanleyPalmtree]

its a weird feeling seeing this on gaf before anywhere else.

 

[Bastables]

Dr yang is crying racisim now and the National party has uploaded the copy of Yang's cv with his Chinese military teritiary education showing.

The PM says he's not worried if it turns out DR yang is a member of the Chinese Communist Party.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/po...amatory-claim-he-was-trained-by-chinese-spies

Really you can be blocked from top secret security clearance over having large debts, but being a member of the Communist party and more strikingly Peoples liberation army does not raise any red flags?

 

[FiraB]

Doesn't matter, he's probably more honest then most our MP's anyway.

 

[Hambulance]

Winston is gonna have a field day.

 

[vonStirlitz]

The PM says he's not worried if it turns out DR yang is a member of the Chinese Communist Party.

Your small island nation is now deemed to be a threat to the free world. Nice knowing you, Kiwis. But sorry, we need to build a wall around you now and contain your evil communistic ways.

 

[BrassDragon]

How on Earth was this person cleared the first time he entered politics?

Are there indications the intelligence findings were suppressed before this broke?

 

[Bastables]

How on Earth was this person cleared the first time he entered politics?

Are there indications the intelligence findings were suppressed before this broke?

I'm speculating, but rank incompetence?

Apparently the SIS had reportedly been looking into his case for the past three years. But the ruling party apparently thought every thing was perfectly fine.

 

[gutter_trash]

lets how much faster it is for New Zealand to prosecute him

 

[lastplayed]

I'm speculating, but rank incompetence?

Apparently the SIS had reportedly been looking into his case for the past three years. But the ruling party apparently thought every thing was perfectly fine.

 

[Bastables]

Lol those adds are great, I like how they feigned shock that people would see them as jokes.

 

[lastplayed]

Lol those adds are great, I like how they feigned shock that people would see them as jokes.

The "It's probably your fault" one cracks me up.

 

[m3k]

oh new zealand

this wont help thoughts of chinese immigrants and new zealand citizens of chinese heritage in new zealamd at all

i kindve hope its true so they revise and tighten up politics and payments to parties... i feel like nz is seen as an easy target because nz is not hawkish

 

[lastplayed]

oh new zealand

this wont help thoughts of chinese immigrants and new zealand citizens of chinese heritage in new zealamd at all

i kindve hope its true so they revise and tighten up politics and payments to parties... i feel like nz is seen as an easy target because nz is not hawkish

It's not making much of an impression online, most kiwis probably don't really care tbh.

 

[m3k]

It's not making much of an impression online, most kiwis probably don't really care tbh.

sigh... im not surprised

 

[Bastables]

The "It's probably your fault" one cracks me up.

To close to the bone right

 

[Bastables]

Dr Yang has now admitted he kinda taught spies and was paid by the PLA... He also did not want that noted on his or party websites because it was complicated and kiwi's being a simple lot i guess don't need to worry. Every one is also a racist for bringing this all up so stop smearing him in a racist campaign.


I particularly like how kiwi's are implied as being to dumb to know the truth and kiwi's should stop being racist by asking him about his time teaching english to chinese sigint per's while being paid by the PLA.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/339335/national-mp-confirms-he-taught-spies-denies-he-is-one

 

[Bastables]

Your small island nation is now deemed to be a threat to the free world. Nice knowing you, Kiwis. But sorry, we need to build a wall around you now and contain your evil communistic ways.

Jokes and all but; well you should be concerned as we kiwi's are part of the five eyes network, so access to GCSB, GCHQ NSA ect. And how lucky he's just admitted to teaching english (How to listen, read, write english) to Chinese Sigint students at a PLA school.
It's if having a background in sigint might be a great guy to post within a government within the largest sigint alliance in the world.

 

[BrassDragon]

Jokes and all but; well you should be concerned as we kiwi's are part of the five eyes network, so access to GCSB, GCHQ NSA ect. And how lucky he's just admitted to teaching english (How to listen, read, write english) to Chinese Sigint students at a PLA school.
It's if having a background in sigint might be a great guy to post within a government within the largest sigint alliance in the world.

Yeah, the FVEY membership is why this seems so shocking. Even at their relatively small scale, the NZSIS has access to international resources that spooks in my country can only dream of.

A wrong assessment of this magnitude calls for parliamentary inquiry.

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

Jokes and all but; well you should be concerned as we kiwi's are part of the five eyes network, so access to GCSB, GCHQ NSA ect. And how lucky he's just admitted to teaching english (How to listen, read, write english) to Chinese Sigint students at a PLA school.
It's if having a background in sigint might be a great guy to post within a government within the largest sigint alliance in the world.

Yeah this is crazy. Get your shit together, NZ

 

[Bastables]

So it seems that Dr Yang has not declared the actual PLA universities he actually taught at on his citizenship application. Instead he gave the Civilian partnership schools as that was a requirement for leaving the country....

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11922788

Asked if he made a false declaration on his citizenship application, Yang said giving the name of "partnership" universities instead of the institutes he actually worked and studied at was not a false declaration and was required if he was to leave China.


He's lied on his applications then. Lucky for him I guess that we no longer execute for treason.