bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
        published
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        name
        published
      }
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        relatedNewsletters {
          ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
          id
        }
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...hooksInlinePlusWidgetContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
  ... on Video {
    youtubeId
  }
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on SectionUnion {
  __isSectionUnion: __typename
  ... on Section {
    name
  }
  ... on VideoSection {
    name
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksInlinePlusWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


types

sectionsV2

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

Igor Patrick

A high-ranking Chilean lawmaker is facing renewed scrutiny after records showed she helped arrange for a Chinese businessman to join an official parliamentary trip to China, where he coordinated logistics and took part in meetings with mainland authorities.
Messages revealed by investigators on Thursday showed Karol Cariola, a member of Chile’s Communist Party and former president of the country’s Chamber of Deputies, may have used her position to benefit a Chinese national on several occasions.
Prosecutors are now examining whether her actions amount to influence peddling, an allegation she denies. No formal charges have been filed.
The businessman, Bo Yang, does not hold public office.
But messages obtained by prosecutors and revealed by local media on Thursday showed that during a July 2024 trip to Beijing, he issued instructions to lawmakers, organised schedules and meals, and was present at formal events alongside Chinese officials.

Investigators say Yang was included in the delegation at Cariola’s request.
Little is publicly known about Yang, who is referred to in many messages as “Emilio”. He owns a retail centre in Santiago called Chinamart and has appeared frequently at events involving Chinese-Chilean business relations.
Investigators described Yang as an “informal political operator” who maintained close ties with Cariola and was involved in coordinating activities with multiple lawmakers.
He is also said to have prepared briefing materials for government officials and to have gifted Cariola items following the birth of her son.
The case began in 2022 after a message surfaced in which Cariola asked the then-mayor of Santiago, Irací Hassler, to help renew a liquor licence for a business owned by Yang. While the request was denied, it prompted prosecutors to open a formal inquiry.
Authorities seized Cariola’s phone during a court-ordered operation in March. Investigators say the contents revealed a pattern of interactions between the lawmaker and various Chilean government officials, including efforts to secure meetings or support on Yang’s behalf.
In one message, Cariola told Nicolás Grau, the country’s economy minister, that she had passed a confidential memo, prepared by Yang, to President Gabriel Boric ahead of Boric’s trip to China in 2023.
In another exchange, she contacted a former interior ministry official to ask for help with a Chinese traveller connected to Yang and detained at Santiago’s airport.
Prosecutors said the messages reflected a consistent effort by Cariola to use her position for private assistance. A second investigation is under way involving separate messages in which she asked two former Chilean mayors to help resolve Yang’s unpaid fines and a suspended licence.
Cariola has said none of her actions were illegal. Her lawyers say the evidence includes personal messages that should not be part of the investigation.
On Thursday, her defence filed a formal complaint accusing the prosecutor’s office of violating a March court order that limited how the phone data could be used.
The complaint says the case file includes private exchanges between Cariola and her mother, including messages discussing gifts from Yang.

Her lawyer, Juan Carlos Manríquez, said the disclosure of those messages represented a breach of privacy and due process. A hearing has been scheduled for July 8.
Yang’s presence on the 2024 China trip has drawn particular attention. According to investigative documents, Cariola added Yang to the delegation’s internal chat group. Messages showed him taking a lead role in coordinating travel and events. He also appeared in photos with lawmakers during meetings with Chinese officials.
Although his role was informal, Yang’s involvement in official events prompted the Chinese embassy in Santiago to issue a statement in March publicly distancing itself from him.
“The channels of communication of this diplomatic mission with the government and National Congress of Chile are direct and fluid,” the embassy said.
“Under no circumstances does the embassy use any intermediary to communicate with Chilean authorities,” it added, saying that while Chinese citizens were encouraged to engage with Chilean society, suggestions that Yang operated under the embassy’s authority were “not true”.
Yang has not commented publicly since the investigation began. Lawmakers who travelled with him said he helped with logistics and protocol, but it remained unclear whether he held any formal status during the trip.
Cariola, who stepped down as president of the Chamber of Deputies in March following the scandal, has long maintained ties with Chinese officials through the Interparliamentary Group Chile-China.
She has met with senior Communist Party leaders in Beijing, supported Chinese-led trade initiatives and called for expanded investment from Chinese companies in Chile.
Last year, for example, she met with Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, and said she was committed to “Chile-China friendship”, which, according to her statement, is “based on shared values such as upholding international law, multilateralism and free trade”.
Xinhua also reported at the time that, during the meeting, she told Zhao that “Chile firmly upholds the one-China principle and that political parties and all sectors of society in Chile are highly consistent in developing their relations with China”.
Boric has said the courts must be allowed to act independently but expressed concern about the timing of the police search at Cariola’s residence, as Chile will have national elections in November.
Jeannette Jara, the Chilean Communist Party’s presidential hopeful, said the facts must be clarified and acknowledged that “not everyone has the ability to call a mayor to make requests”, though she added she did not view the messages as improper.
Lautaro Carmona, general secretary of the Chilean Communist Party, defended Cariola and backed her claim that the investigation was politically motivated.


Senior Chilean lawmaker investigated over actions involving Chinese businessman

An undated screenshot of Bo Yang, also known as Emilio, with whom Chilean lawmaker Karol Cariola is said to have had dealings that are the subject of an investigation.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric, speaks during his annual address at the National Congress building in Valparaiso on June 1, 2025. Boric has said the courts must be allowed to act independently in the investigation. Photo: Reuters

Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and China’s No 3 official, is said to have met with Chilean lawmaker Karol Cariola in Beijing in 2024. Photo: CCTV

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Records show ex-president of country’s lower house helped arrange for retail centre owner to join official parliamentary trip to mainland


Records show ex-president of country’s lower house helped arrange for retail centre owner to join official parliamentary trip to mainland.


Chile

China’s Communist Party

Zhao Leji

China-Latin America relations

Senior Chilean lawmaker investigated over actions involving Chinese businessman

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Records show ex-president of country’s lower house helped arrange for retail centre owner to join official parliamentary trip to mainland

Records show ex-president of country’s lower house helped arrange for retail centre owner to join official parliamentary trip to mainland