HONG KONG: Britain’s Foreign Office said on Tues­day it was “extremely conce­rned” by reports that a Hong Kong consulate empl­oyee had been detained by mainland Chinese authorities on his way back to the city.

The Hong Kong consulate refused to confirm the man’s name or further details of the apparent incident and a Chinese official said he was “not aware” of the situation.

But a report in local news outlet HK01 said the consulate employee had failed to return after travelling to Shenzhen in Guangdong pro­­vince, an hour outside Hong Kong, for a one-day business meeting on Aug 8.

“We are extremely concerned by reports that a member of our team has been detained returning to Hong Kong from Shenzhen,” a Foreign and Common­wealth Office spokesperson said in a statement.

“We are providing support to his family and seeking further information from authorities in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong,” it added.

Hong Kong police confirmed they had opened a missing person’s case on Aug 9.

“So far we have not received any notification from mainland authorities,” of his possible detention in China, spokesman senior superintendent Kong Wing-cheung told reporters.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said: “I am not aware of the relevant situation.”

The incident comes as the financial hub faces its worst political crisis in decades.

Pro-democracy protesters have staged weeks of rallies that have often descended into violent clashes with police.

Beijing has taken an incr­easingly hard line against the protests, which it sees as a direct challenge to its rule.

It has also repeatedly warned Britain — the former colonial ruler of Hong Kong — against “interference” in the protests, and relations between the two countries have been increasingly strained over the issue.

The demonstrations were triggered by a controversial extradition law but have bro­­adened into a call for wider democratic reforms.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2019