New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters today welcomed the news that MP Jian Yang is retiring from politics.

“With Jian Yang’s retirement the National Party now has the opportunity to publicly commit to not take any more donations facilitated by individuals with links to the Chinese Communist Party,” said New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters today.

“It has been a shocking indictment on that party that not only has Mr Yang been an effective ‘bundler’ of foreign donations, whose origins have not yet fully emerged, but that the National Party saw, heard, and spoke no evil throughout the shameful period that Jian Yang was in Parliament.”

Mr Peters added, “The present Coalition Government has always had its eyes wide open about foreign interference, a constant and ongoing threat to New Zealand’s democratic fabric.

“In contrast, the National Party turned a blind eye to what was happening on their last watch.

“It is breath taking, given New Zealand’s long democratic tradition, that National has tolerated the intolerable by protecting Mr Yang from being held to account by our media. He has never satisfactorily explained his past links with the CCP and their military intelligence-linked language schools, nor has he or the National Party ever apologized for his misleading statements when he applied for citizenship.

“It is even worse that when last in government National for over 16 months allowed Mr Yang to sit as a member on the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee until he was quietly replaced. This is shocking when you think about it, a low point in protecting some of New Zealand’s most sensitive relationships.

“Foreign interference is an insidious perversion of New Zealand’s democratic norms and the 53rd parliament will be a better place for Mr Yang’s absence,” stated Mr Peters.

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