A cheat and a liar, say Xue's colleagues

MISSING New Zealand man Naiyin Xue has been called a liar, cheat and conman by members of California's Chinese community.

They also revealed Mr Xue had an extensive knowledge of Los Angeles and could easily "go to ground" there.

Anguang Sun, owner of the Tai Chi Academy of Los Angeles, said Mr Xue had been ostracised by the city's Chinese community after he launched stinging attacks on other tai chi teachers worldwide and was found to have lied about his martial arts qualifications.

"He is a very arrogant man," Mr Sun told the Herald Sun.

"He told people that he was the best in the world at Wu-style tai chi. He said he was a grand master.

"He was always boasting and lying, all so he could make money by cheating people."

Mr Sun, who is also the president of the Tai Chi Club of California, said he was not surprised to learn that Mr Xue had abandoned his daughter at a railway station or that he was wanted for questioning over the death of his wife.

"He is not a good man, so I am not shocked at all to hear about this," he said.

"I don't think anybody liked him here."

Mr Xue spent at least three months living in Los Angeles in 2000, and gave private tuition to about eight students who contacted him after he advertised in a LA-based Chinese-language newspaper.

Several members of California's tai chi community said they had not heard from Mr Xue in the more than six years since he left.

One man said he believed Mr Xue had family in San Francisco and might have gone there after flying into Los Angeles at the weekend.

Former student Kent Miu said Mr Xue had spoken about his elder daughter, Grace, during lessons, and had revealed he was upset about his financial struggles.

"I remember he emphasised that he was quite stressed due to financial problems," Mr Miu said.

"He said it was hard to attract students and difficult to support a family."

The 69-year-old pensioner said he had been disappointed to learn that Mr Xue, who had been charging him $70 an hour for lessons, had lied about his training.

This was apparently revealed when a suspicious teacher contacted the Chinese academy Mr Xue said had trained him.

"Naiyin exaggerated his credentials to make himself more marketable," Mr Miu said.

"He offended a lot of people who practise martial arts. He argued with everybody (in the tai chi community) in LA.

"He was always criticising people and putting down other teachers. He didn't like competition."

LA dentist Steven Yang said he had paid Mr Xue about $2500 to teach him tai chi for two hours a week over a two-month period in 2000.

"He was not very friendly," Mr Yang said.

"He seemed to think he was above everybody."

During Mr Xue's time in LA, he lived at a house in Rosemead, a poor neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city.

Mr Miu said Mr Xue rented the room for $350 a month.

A man at the house said yesterday he had moved into the property in 2002 and did not know Mr Xue.

Australian and US law enforcement officials yesterday refused to comment on the hunt for Mr Xue.

US Customs and border protection spokesman Michael Fleming confirmed his agency was aware of it.

But Mr Fleming could not say if an alert had been issued to airports and border checkpoints across the country.

Interpol Washington spokeswoman Crystal Humes also refused to confirm it was involved in the hunt for Mr Xue, but said the issuing of an arrest warrant was not a prerequisite for it to become involved.

The Australian consulate, Australian Federal Police and New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs all refused to discuss the case yesterday.