British consulate worker in Hong Kong held in mainland China for 10 days, girlfriend says
- Simon Cheng disappeared more than a week ago while returning from Shenzhen at the West Kowloon terminus of the cross-border railway, according to partner
- British consulate ‘extremely concerned’ by reports of detention
The British government is seeking answers from China about a staff member from its consulate in Hong Kong who, according to his girlfriend, has been detained across the border for at least 10 days.
Simon Cheng Man-kit’s girlfriend, a 27-year-old Taiwanese working in Hong Kong who asked to be identified only by her surname, Li, said the 28-year-old disappeared on August 8 while returning home through the immigration checkpoint at the West Kowloon terminus of the cross-border high-speed railway linking the city to Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
The British consulate said it was “extremely concerned by reports that a member of our team has been detained returning to Hong Kong from Shenzhen”.
“We are providing support to his family and seeking further information from authorities in Guangdong province and Hong Kong,” a spokesman said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang denied knowledge of the case, while mainland public security officials with jurisdictional authority in their designated zone at the terminus said they had not made any arrest that day.
