'Yang Bin' (楊斌) (born
1961) is a Chinese-Dutch businessman who was formerly listed as the second richest man in China by
Forbes for 2001. He once held assets in the horticulture and real estate industries, owning stakes in the Euro-Asia Agricultural Holdings and
Holland Village, China. His fall from grace came in 2002, when he was arrested on charges of tax evasion. He was later sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Born in
Nanjing, China, he lost his parents when he was five; he was raised by his grandmother and relatives. Yang Bin was a former officer in the
People's Liberation Army Navy. He later emigrated to the
Netherlands in 1987, where he ran a textile business and became a naturalized Dutch citizen. He returned to China in 1995, starting his orchid business in
Shenyang using modern horticultural techniques learned from the Netherlands.
In September 2002,
North Korea chose Yang Bin to govern and lead the economic development of the
SinÅiju Special Administrative Region. Shortly after his appointment, the
People's Republic of China removed him from his home and placed him on house arrest on October 4. He was formally arrested on charges of tax evasion in November. Yang Bin was then formally sentenced in July of 2003.
External links
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The Hermit Kingdom's Bizarre SAR
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Euro-Asia Agricultural Holdings delisted from Hong Kong Stock Exchange