The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission released a settlement order against Wu Zheng, finding that during his tenure at Edison Max he concealed related-party transactions and used a listed company's money to pay off his own debts.
The U.S. Department of Justice received the foreign agent registration documents submitted by Wu Zheng, in which Wu Zheng declared that he has served as vice chairman and secretary-general of the Charhar Institute's China-U.S. Relations Committee since November 2018.
In response to Guo Wengui's allegations that Wu Zheng is a senior spy for the Chinese Communist Party, Wu Zheng and Yang Lan filed a lawsuit against Guo Wengui in a New York court as plaintiffs, accusing him of defamation and harassment.
Yang Lan delivered a cultural-themed presentation in Moscow on behalf of Beijing's Olympic bid. That same September, she sold her stake in Sunshine Culture to Sina, after which Wu Zheng became co-chairman of Sina.
Wu Zheng and Yang Lan took control of a Hong Kong-listed company and transformed it into Sunshine Culture, with Yang Lan serving as chairman. At the same time, she founded Sunshine TV, which was later granted access to some of China's cable networks.
In 1998, Wu Zheng took office as Chief Operating Officer of Hong Kong's Asia Television, intervening in ATV's management and establishing cooperation between his company and institutions under the Chinese Ministry of Culture.
Yang Lan ended her first marriage and married Wu Zheng in 1995, after which the two began conducting business and media activities in both China and the United States.