China to Deal with Yang Bin Case According to Law

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, November 29, 2002

China to Deal with Yang Bin Case According to Law

China is to deal with the Yang Bin case according to the law even though he holds a Dutch passport, said Liu Jianchao, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said at a regular press conference Thursday.

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China will deal with the case of Yang Bin according to the country's laws, even though he holds a Dutch passport, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao confirmed Thursday that the 39-year-old Dutch-Chinese tycoon, chosen by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to run a special economic zone, was arrested in the northeastern city of Shenyang on Wednesday.

"He is suspected of criminal activities including running investment scams, using fraudulent contracts, illegally occupying farmlands and offering bribes. Therefore he was arrested by the Shenyang public security department on November 27 in accordance with the law,'' said Liu.

Yang moved to the Netherlands in the 1980s but later returned to China, prospering as chairman of the board of directors and legal representative of the Shenyang Euro-Asia Group. He was named the second-richest man in China by Forbes magazine last year.

Yang was placed under house arrest in Shenyang in early October, shortly after the DPRK announced he would head its ambitious Sinuiju Special Autonomous Region.

"In light of the fact that he had a Dutch passport when entering China, according to international practice China has already reported this arrest to the Dutch embassy,'' Liu added.

Also at Thursday's regular briefing, Liu talked about the United Nations' weapons inspections in Iraq.

"As a requirement of the United Nations (UN), the Chinese side has indicated its willingness to send experts to Iraq for the weapons inspections,'' Liu said, adding that the two sides are negotiating on the specific arrangements.

China was pleased to see UN weapons inspectors successfully complete their first day of work at suspect sites in Iraq on Wednesday, Liu said.

"We hope that the UN weapons inspectors can continue to carry out their work effectively and smoothly. It is also our hope that the relevant parties will earnestly implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions on Iraq,'' Liu said.

Iraq has denied having any weapons of mass destruction and has agreed to allow weapons inspectors back into the country after a four-year break.

On Wednesday, UN weapons inspectors began their first field mission in Baghdad to search for banned weapons of mass destruction.

China is pleased to see the progress made at the "Sri Lanka Peace Process -- Support Meeting," the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

More than 20 nations attended the meeting held Monday in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, and promised to help Sri Lanka to rebuild infrastructure and to help displaced people return to their homes.

China appreciated the vigorous efforts made by relevant partiesand the international community for Sri Lanka, Liu said, adding that as a friend of Sri Lanka, China sincerely hoped its internal peace process could continue to make progress.

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