'Agent of influence' Huang Jing resigns as Keppel Land independent director

SINGAPORE — Academic Huang Jing has resigned as an independent director of Keppel Land, the company said on Sunday (Aug 6), two days after he was identified by the authorities here as an “agent of influence of a foreign country”.

The Government also revoked the permanent residence status of Professor Huang, a US-China expert with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), and his wife, Ms Shirley Yang Xiuping. The couple, who are United States citizens, will not be allowed to re-enter Singapore.

"Keppel Land has received and accepted Mr Huang's resignation as a director with immediate effect," Keppel Land said in a press statement on its website.

Prof Huang has also been suspended without pay with immediate effect from LKYSPP.

The academic “knowingly interacted” with intelligence organisations and agents of the foreign country and co-operated with them to influence the Republic’s foreign policy and public opinion here, said the Home Affairs Ministry (MHA) in a statement on Friday (Aug 4), without naming the country in question.

“To this end, he engaged prominent and influential Singaporeans and gave them what he claimed was ‘privileged information’ about the foreign country, so as to influence their opinions in favour of that country. Huang also recruited others in aid of his operations,” the MHA added.

The Controller of Immigration acted after Prof Huang was deemed an “undesirable immigrant” under the Immigration Act, for engaging in activities contrary to the Republic’s national interests, the ministry said.

Ms Yang was aware that Prof Huang was acting through his senior position at the LKYSPP — where he was director of the Centre on Asia and Globalisation — to advance the agenda of a foreign country, said the MHA. She was declared a “prohibited immigrant” under the Act as she is Huang’s family member.

Prof Huang used his senior position in the LKYSPP to “deliberately and covertly advance the agenda of a foreign country at Singapore’s expense”, said the ministry.

“He did this in collaboration with foreign intelligence agents. This amounts to subversion and foreign interference in Singapore’s domestic politics. Huang’s continued presence in Singapore, and that of his wife, are therefore undesirable. Both will be permanently banned from re-entering Singapore,” it added.