Jian Yang (politician)

Jian Yang (Chinese name: 杨健, Yáng Jiàn) is a Chinese-New Zealand international relations academic, politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. He is a member of the National Party.

Early life

Yang grew up in southern China, earned his MA and PhD in international relations from the Australian National University.

In 1999 Yang joined the University of Auckland as a Senior Lecturer in Political Studies.

Member of Parliament

Yang was ranked at 36 on the National Party list for the 2011 New Zealand general election. He was the highest ranked new candidate on the list and was seen as a replacement for Pansy Wong, a Chinese MP who had resigned since the last election.