The heads of the Wenzhou and Zhejiang clan associations in New York and other "patriotic overseas Chinese leaders" fully supported and cooperated in the mission to get Yang back, the commission said. "They advised and guided Yang Xiuzhu and her relatives, and urged on the U.S. side to repatriate her as soon as possible." The aim was to make sure Yang had "no money to spend, nobody to rely on and have no way to escape", it added. Yang fled China in April 2003 and sought political asylum in France, the Netherlands and then the United States. It has not been possible to reach Yang or a legal representative in China for comment.

Source: Standard Digital November 17, 2016 13:31 UTC