Yang Lanlan’s Appearance: A Bad Omen for Xi Jinping

On August 15 local time, Yang Lanlan’s case was heard at the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney. （Video Screenshot）

[People News] Chinese businesswoman Yang Lanlan has become the focus of global attention. On August 15, the first court hearing for her car accident case was held, but she disappointed the many media outlets waiting at the courthouse by attending via video link instead of appearing in person. Many had hoped to learn more about her through the proceedings, but her “invisibility” in court only deepened the mystery surrounding her identity. Meanwhile, online speculation that Yang Lanlan is connected to Xi Jinping’s family has been spreading widely.

On August 15 local time, Yang Lanlan’s case was heard at the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney. The courtroom was packed with media from all sides as well as Chinese students, all waiting for her arrival. According to independent media on the scene, only Yang’s lawyer attended in person, while she participated remotely. The next court date is set for September 26.

After the accident, it was discovered that despite her great wealth, Yang Lanlan has almost no traceable family or financial records, sparking intense speculation about her true identity. Public opinion has largely focused on the possibility that she is either from a powerful business clan or the descendant of Chinese Communist Party elites. This hearing did nothing to dispel the mystery.

Sydney-based independent commentator Sima Ku questioned the claim that Yang comes from a business family:
“How did Yang’s father manage to operate so discreetly, amassing such vast wealth without anyone knowing? And if the money was earned legitimately, why all the secrecy? What wealthy businessman’s child wouldn’t even dare register a car or a house in their own name?”

Sima Ku revealed that Australia has long been a haven for the Xi family. Before the global CRS (Common Reporting Standard) tax framework was implemented, Australia was a prime destination for the Xi clan and other Chinese “red aristocracy” families to park their assets, thanks to its stable legal system, generous investment immigration policies, and tax advantages for foreign asset holders.

In the 1990s, after Xi Jinping’s younger brother Xi Yuanping left his post as Deputy Director of the Shenzhen Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Commission to enter business, he moved to China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). As a director of CNPC’s Hong Kong branch, he obtained Hong Kong residency just before the 1997 handover.

Soon afterward, Xi Yuanping, Xi’s second sister Qi An’an, and her husband Wu Long all obtained Australian permanent residency. Today, Xi Jinping’s second sister’s family lives in Melbourne.

Xi Jinping’s maternal uncle Qi Ruixin and his family also immigrated to Australia. Qi Ruixin had served as Party Secretary of the China National Gold Corporation and the Armed Police Gold Command. His son Qi Ming — Xi Jinping’s cousin — was once arrested by Australian police on money-laundering charges. Internal documents from Melbourne’s Crown Casino listed him as a “VVIP” who, between June 2012 and late 2013, spent about AUD 41 million, ranking among the casino’s top 50 highest-spending patrons.

According to Sima Ku, the Xi family in Australia lives in extreme luxury, comparable to the lifestyle of Zeng Wei, son of former Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong. He believes the timing of the Yang Lanlan case is politically sensitive.

“Whether it’s Qi Ming, Zeng Wei, or Yang Lanlan, none of them make headlines by coincidence. Their fates are tied to the intensifying political struggle in China. They appear in the public eye at just the right moment for a reason. Yang Lanlan’s emergence, along with recent similar incidents, could be yet another piece of bad news for Xi Jinping.”

Even without concrete proof, the constant association of Yang Lanlan’s name with the Xi family online has already created a perceived connection in the public mind.

Sima Ku added that if he were part of Xi’s opposition, he would use the Yang Lanlan affair to expose Xi’s hidden wealth and dismantle his carefully crafted anti-corruption image, tearing away his last “fig leaf.”

“On one hand you have Xi Jinping’s high-profile anti-corruption crusade; on the other, you have the reality of a decadent, privileged family. This hypocrisy erodes one of the key foundations of Xi’s public credibility.”

In fact, almost all of Xi Jinping’s family members — except Xi himself — have emigrated overseas.

Xi and his current wife, Peng Liyuan, have a daughter, Xi Mingze, who was revealed in May 2010 to be studying undergraduate at Harvard University in the U.S. By 2011, she reportedly already held a U.S. green card and could obtain American citizenship at any time.

Xi’s elder sister Qi Qiaoqiao is chairwoman of Beijing Zhongminxin Real Estate Development Co., and her husband Deng Jiagui is the legal representative of a real estate company. Both hold Canadian citizenship. Their daughter Zhang Yannan and son-in-law Fu Daniu are British citizens.

Xi’s second sister Qi An’an is an Australian citizen and currently chairs Datang Mobile Communications in Shenzhen. Her husband Wu Long, also an Australian citizen, serves as chairman of Beijing Xin’you Tong and general manager of Datang Mobile Communications, as well as a shareholder in China Rare Earth Holdings Ltd.

Xi’s younger brother Xi Yuanping is also an Australian citizen, and his son Xi Mingzheng holds a U.S. green card.

Xi’s ex-wife Ke Lingling, daughter of former Chinese diplomat Ke Hua, divorced him after three years of marriage and now lives in the UK.