A Hong Kong bookseller and British passport holder who disappeared last year said he had not been kidnapped by Chinese authorities, as many suspect, but had sneaked into China illegally and that he would renounce his British citizenship.
Lee Bo (李波), a dual citizen who is a major shareholder in Causeway Bay Books (銅鑼灣圖書), and four associates went missing over the past half year, sparking fears that Chinese authorities had abducted some of the men and taken them back to China.
The disappearances provoked concern that China was using shadowy tactics to erode the “one country, two systems” formula under which Hong Kong has been governed since its return to China from British rule in 1997.
At least one of the men faces charges for selling and distributing books critical of Chinese Communist Party leaders that are banned in China.
In a 20-minute interview with China’s Phoenix Television late on Monday, Lee gave the first detailed account of his disappearance from Hong Kong in December last year saying he had returned to China voluntarily.
“I have always felt that I’m a Hong Kong citizen, a Chinese citizen, and because people have used my British nationality to sensationalize and make the situation more complicated, that’s why I’m deciding to give up my British nationality,” said Lee, who appeared calm in the interview.
“Why have I acted so mysteriously? It’s because I’ve had to assist with a mainland Chinese investigation and it required testifying against some people,” he said.
Since he was afraid of reprisals from those he was testifying against, “I used an illegal means to sneak there and I didn’t use my [Chinese] home return permit,” he said.
Lee did not give details on how he’d crossed the border into China, or who helped him or when he might return.
“This case is quite complicated ... so I need to be questioned for longer. I am very safe and free in China. My relations with law enforcement officers are very good. They treat me very well,” he said.
Some politicians were skeptical and said Lee may have been pressured to try to erase perceptions of Chinese authorities carrying out illegal cross-border enforcement operations.
“I don’t know who helped him sneak over... Was he forced by Chinese police or state security agents?” Democratic Party lawmaker James To (涂謹申) said. “There is still a big question mark.”
Hong Kong Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok (黎棟國) said Hong Kong police would follow up to further clarify the circumstances of Lee’s case, including how he had entered China.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hong Lei (洪磊), asked about Lee’s appearance on television, noted that Lee and his wife had already made remarks on the case many times already.
“We should respect what they have said and respect the facts,” he told a daily news briefing, without elaborating.
Britain said it would provide support to Lee, the BBC reported, following his latest comments. Britain has not yet been granted consular access to Lee, despite formal requests, a representative of the British consulate in Hong Kong said on Monday.
Four of the men, including Gui Minhai (桂民海), a Swedish national and co-owner of Mighty Current (巨流) publishing house, on Sunday said in another Phoenix TV report that they had been detained for “illegal book trading” in China.
Additional reporting by staff writer
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese