Jian Yang (politician)
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affiliationsChinese Communist Party[1]
Jian Yang | |
|---|---|
| 杨建 | |
 Photograph of Yang in 2010 | |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for National | |
| In office 26 November 2011 – 17 October 2020 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 1962 (age 63) |
| Party | New Zealand National Party |
| Other political affiliations | Chinese Communist Party[1] |
| Occupation | Academic, politician |
Jian Yang (simplified Chinese: 杨健; traditional Chinese: 楊建; pinyin: Yáng Jiàn; born October 1962[2]) is a Chinese New Zealander international relations academic, politician and a former member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. Before moving to New Zealand, he was a member of the Chinese Communist Party and worked for the People's Liberation Army, including training linguists to intercept foreign communications. He is a member of the National Party and was a National MP from 2011 until the 2020 general election, when he retired.
Several news outlets reported in 2021 that his retirement from Parliament came after intelligence agencies flagged concerns about his relationship with the Chinese Government, and was arranged as part of a deal between Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Opposition Leader Todd Muller that also involved Labour MP Raymond Huo leaving Parliament for the same reason.[3][4][5]
Yang grew up in Jiangxi Province in southern China. He earned his MA and PhD in international relations from the Australian National University.[6]
In 1999 Yang joined the University of Auckland as a Senior Lecturer in Political Studies.[7] He was granted New Zealand citizenship on 14 June 2004.[8]
Member of Parliament
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–2014 | 50th | List | 36 | National | |
| 2014–2017 | 51st | List | 33 | National | |
| 2017–2020 | 52nd | List | 33 | National | |
Yang was ranked at 36 on the National Party list for the 2011 New Zealand general election. He was the highest ranked new candidate on the list and was seen as a replacement for Pansy Wong, a Chinese MP who had resigned since the previous election.[6]
Yang was re-elected on the party list in 2014 and 2017. During his parliamentary career, Yang was the deputy chair of the Health select committee from 2013 to 2014, the chair of the Education and Science committee from 2014 to 2017 and the chair of Governance and Administration committee from 2017 to 2020. He was additionally appointed a Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for Ethnic Communities in 2017 and the National Party opposition spokesperson for statistics from 2017 to 2020.[9]
In 2019, it was reported that Yang organised a meeting between National Party leader Simon Bridges and Guo Shengkun, the head of the Chinese Communist Party secret police during a visit to China.[10]
While he was initially re-selected as a National Party list candidate in March 2020 for that year's general election,[11] Yang later announced his retirement from politics following renewed pressure from New Zealand First MP Winston Peters over his alleged links to Chinese military intelligence.[12][13][14]
It was later reported that his retirement from Parliament came as the result of a secret deal between Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Opposition Leader Todd Muller after intelligence agencies raised concerns about his and Labour MP Raymond Huo's relationships with the Chinese Government. According to reports, the two leaders arranged for both Jian and Huo to leave Parliament at the 2020 election "with a minimum of fuss".[15][3][4][5]
