BEIJING — The British government said Tuesday it is “extremely concerned” by the disappearance of an employee in its Hong Kong consulate who was reportedly detained by Chinese authorities while returning from a trip to mainland China, in a case that threatens to further strain tense relations between Beijing and the West.
Simon Cheng, a 28-year-old trade and investment officer at the consulate, planned to attend a technology conference in the border city of Shenzhen on Aug. 8 and return to Hong Kong the same day by high-speed train, his girlfriend told Hong Kong news website HK01.com.
Cheng fell out of contact as he tried to pass through Chinese immigration that evening and has since been held in the mainland under administrative detention for unknown reasons, Cheng’s girlfriend told HK01.com, citing information she received from Hong Kong immigration officials.
The disappearance risks adding another irritant to the already difficult relationship between China and the West, which has deteriorated of late due to numerous disputes.
Beijing, locked in an increasingly bitter trade dispute with the United States, has accused Washington and London of fomenting protests that have convulsed Hong Kong, a former British colony, over the summer. Canada has criticized China for holding two of its citizens, including a former diplomat, as political hostages in retaliation for the arrest in Vancouver of Meng Wanzhou, an executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei who is wanted in the United States in connection with alleged Iran sanctions violations.
There is no indication that Cheng, a Hong Kong permanent resident, was traveling under a British diplomatic passport when he vanished. Cheng’s public social media profiles show that he began working at the consulate in December 2017 after receiving a master's degree from the London School of Economics.
British officials on Tuesday confirmed Cheng’s disappearance. But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang denied knowledge of the incident.
“We are extremely concerned by reports that a member of our team has been detained returning to Hong Kong from Shenzhen,” a British Foreign Office spokesperson said. “We are providing support to his family and seeking further information from authorities in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong.”
Cheng wrote “Passing through” and “pray for me” to his girlfriend as he approached Chinese immigration at the West Kowloon high-speed rail station in Hong Kong, according to HK01, citing screenshots provided by his girlfriend. Under an arrangement between Hong Kong and mainland authorities, cross-border travelers pass through immigration inside the West Kowloon terminus; mainland Chinese police officers are also on duty in parts of the station that are considered under mainland jurisdiction.
[Hong Kong protesters defy threats from Beijing to stage another huge rally]
Hong Kong’s Immigration Department said it had provided the missing man’s family with advice and assistance and had been in touch with Hong Kong officials based in Guangdong Province about the case.
Details of Cheng’s disappearance emerged as political tensions continued to simmer in Hong Kong following another huge, though peaceful, street march over the weekend.
A proposal to allow certain suspects to be extradited from Hong Kong to face trial in mainland China’s Communist Party-controlled courts triggered weeks of demonstrations in the city, where many saw the now-shelved plan as a ploy by local leaders, acting in concert with Beijing, to erode Hong Kong’s autonomy and comparative freedoms.
Hong Kong is governed under a “one country, two systems” arrangement within China, under which the territory is supposed to enjoy a high degree of autonomy for 50 years following its return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
The city’s leader, Carrie Lam, pledged Tuesday to hold talks with people from across the political spectrum but didn’t appear to budge on demonstrators’ key demands.
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For weeks, the Chinese government has framed the protests in Hong Kong as a “color revolution” instigated by the United States and Britain to destabilize China.
China publicized the personal details and photo of an American diplomat based in Hong Kong this month, in an apparent effort to portray her as a hostile intelligence officer, drawing severe rebuke from the State Department.
Tensions have been particularly high at the busy southern border where a river separates Shenzhen from Hong Kong.
In recent weeks, Chinese immigration authorities have demanded that travelers unlock their smartphones to show their message records and photo albums for inspection. Foreign journalists have also come under heightened scrutiny.
In an apparent show of force toward the Hong Kong protesters, thousands of Chinese armed forces have been gathering and holding exercises near a Shenzhen stadium along the border.
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2019-08-20 06:52:55Z
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