Wellington — A New Zealand legislator received military and intelligence training in China, it emerged on Wednesday, but he denied allegations of being a Beijing spy, saying he was the victim of a racist smear campaign. China-born MP Jian Yang was the subject of an investigation by New Zealand’s intelligence services over his links to an elite Chinese spy school, according to a joint investigation by the Financial Times and newsroom.co.nz. The media organisations said Yang, who was elected to parliament in 2011, had not disclosed his background as a teacher at China’s top linguistics academy for military intelligence officers. New Zealand is a member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network, which also includes the US, Britain, Canada and Australia. The FT said no other Western nation was known to have a sitting MP with such extensive links to China’s intelligence community. The revelation "raises questions about Western preparedness to deal with China’s increasingly aggressive...

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