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Supporters of British Consulate official detained by China stage protests in Hong Kong

Protesters fire nitrogen extinguishers during a stand off at Yuen Long MTR station - REUTERS
Protesters fire nitrogen extinguishers during a stand off at Yuen Long MTR station - REUTERS

Friends of Simon Cheng, the British Consulate official detained in China, staged a rally on Wednesday urging Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister and Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister “save” the young man from a Chinese jail.

Mr Cheng, 28, a trade and investment officer at the Hong Kong consulate’s Scottish Development International section, went missing on August 8 on the way back from a business event in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. As he prepared to cross the border into Hong Kong he texted his girlfriend: “pray for me.”

News of his disappearance became public on Tuesday, prompting China on Wednesday to confirm that it was holding him on allegations of violating local law, without revealing any further details.

Geng Shuang, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said the case was linked to China’s Public Security Administration Punishment Law, a statute pertaining to minor violations. Individuals can be held under administrative detention for as long as 15 days, which would be roughly until Friday.

Mr Geng warned the UK against meddling in the affairs of its former colony. “The British side has made a lot of erroneous remarks on Hong Kong,” Mr Geng said, urging London “to stop pointing fingers and making accusations.”

The British foreign office has said it is “extremely concerned” about Mr Cheng’s case and is seeking information from authorities in Hong Kong and the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, which includes Shenzhen.

Activists gather outside the British Consulate-General building in Hong Kong  - Credit: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images
Activists gather outside the British Consulate-General building in Hong Kong Credit: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images

In a statement issued on Facebook, Mr Cheng’s family said: “We feel very helpless, and are worried sick about Simon. We hope that Simon can return to Hong Kong as soon as possible.”

About two dozen of Mr Cheng’s friends and supporters gathered on Wednesday afternoon outside the Consulate General office in central Hong Kong, where Mr Cheng has worked since 2017, chanting “Save Simon Now! Delay No More!”

Max Chung, the rally organiser, who knew Mr Cheng from his student days at the London School of Economics, accused the UK of “failing to show due diligence” towards him. “Mr Boris Johnson, the prime minister, it’s now or never!” he said.

“We appeal to Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon, we urge you to save Simon. Make this your number one priority now.”

Michael Mo, a fellow protester, added: “England expects every man to do his duty and we expect every British politician to honour their word.”

Simon Cheng, a staff member of the British Consulate in Hong Kong, was initially reported missing
Simon Cheng, a staff member of the British Consulate in Hong Kong, was initially reported missing

The group was briefly admitted indoors to present a petition calling for the UK to express “specific measures” to protect British Nationals in Hong Kong and to issue a travel warning that British and foreign nationals in Hong Kong could be subjected to “enforced disappearance.”

Emerging from the building, Mr Chung said senior officials had assured him that they were working “full throttle” to secure Mr Cheng’s freedom.

However, protesters said that Mr Cheng’s predicament confirmed their worst fears about arbitrary detention by China.

The Hong Kong protest movement, now in its eleventh week, began over opposition to a planned extradition law that would allow suspects to be sent to trial for the first time in China’s opaque justice system.

“Simon’s case is “white terror” to everyone in Hong Kong. Because even if you haven’t voiced out your political views, you may still be considered a target, and can be arrested for no reason,” said Duff Li, a protester in his twenties.

Mr Cheng’s disappearance has also revived fears about the safety of diplomatic personnel in China.

The diplomatic and expat community has already been put on edge by the December detention of Michael Kovrig, a Hong Kong-based security analyst on leave from Canada’s foreign service, and by the arrest of Michael Spavor, an entrepreneur, who worked between China and North Korea.

Both men have been accused of espionage and remain in secret detention.

Mr Cheng, who grew up in Hong Kong and studied in Taiwan, Japan and London, holds a British national overseas passport.

The British government returned Hong Kong to Chinese rule in 1997. Tensions have simmered in recent weeks between Beijing and London and other western capitals over international support for Hong Kong’s sustained pro-democracy demonstrations.