Chinese tycoon’s disappearance exposes cracks in Hong Kong’s autonomy

NTD Staff
By NTD Staff
February 10, 2017World News
share

The mysterious disappearance from Hong Kong of Xiao Jianhua, a China-born billionaire, has sent a chill through mainland business circles operating in the city, say sources with ties to businessman.

For activists and legal professionals it has also thrown Hong Kong’s autonomy into further doubt just over a year after the island was rocked by the disappearance of five booksellers.

Britain returned Hong Kong to Chinese control in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula that guarantees the city a high degree of autonomy and the assurance that no Mainland Chinese departments would interfere with local affairs.

But recent reports that billionaire Xiao Jianhua was abducted by Chinese agents from the luxury Four Seasons hotel has further undermined confidence in the legal autonomy that has underpinned Hong Kong’s economy.

Xiao, who runs financial group Tomorrow Holdings and has close ties with some of China’s top leaders and businessmen, is ranked 32nd on the 2016 Hurun China rich list, China’s equivalent of the Forbes list, with a net worth of $6 billion.

Canadian authorities confirmed to Reuters Xiao holds a Canadian passport but are still trying to find out what happened to him.

Hong Kong police say Xiao crossed the border into China on January 27 through a checkpoint, and are still investigating the case. Xiao himself, however, posted an advertisement in a local newspaper saying he hadn’t been abducted but was seeking medical treatment “outside the country” while saying he loved the Chinese Communist Party.

“I don’t dare to go to Hong Kong. Hong Kong has completely changed, it is definitely not safe. Xiao’s experience, Xiao’s (life) has proved this,” said Guo Wengui, a well-connected Chinese tycoon and long-time friend of Xiao, told Reuters in his first interview with a foreign media outlet for several years.

Guo used to frequent Hong Kong with his family, but now has lived in exile for the past two years.

Xiao’s disappearance bears similarities to the case of five booksellers who went missing at the end of 2015.

Four of the booksellers have now returned to Hong Kong, including Lam Wing Kee and Chinese-born British national Lee Bo, who went missing from Hong Kong in late December. But Swedish passport holder Gui Minhai, who disappeared from the Thai resort of Pattaya in October 2015, remains in detention in China.

Chinese authorities have repeatedly said they would never do anything illegal and that Hong Kong’s autonomy has been fully respected.

“(China) does not dare to send agents to Hong Kong when they want to abduct people, because it fears that if people were to know about those things, it would have trouble explaining. This incident (Xiao Jianhua’s abduction) shows that China’s meddling in Hong Kong has not stopped, but (China) has become smarter. That’s how it is,” Lam told Reuters at a literary event in Taiwan.

Lam’s lawyer and former legislator Albert Ho says the government should honestly explain these mysterious circumstances and investigations should be conducted.

“It’s obviously a blatant contravention of the Basic Law, in that somebody, on the authority of the mainland law enforcement agency, is taking action in Hong Kong to arrest, detain and bring people back to the Mainland to face further legal proceedings or political persecution. That is something which even according to the Hong Kong government, is totally unacceptable. The question is whether we have sufficient proof,” Ho said.

With almost no explanation of these abductions, many question whether the financial hub’s integrity of “one country, two systems” will be maintained.

“Xiao’s case completely destroy the fantasies of many bosses. Hong Kong is definitely not safe (from Chinese security agents). It’s not just mainland Chinese bosses who aren’t safe, Hong Kong people are also not safe,” Guo said.

China’s Ministry of State Security, Foreign Ministry and Public Security Bureau have so far not responded to Reuters requests to comment on the case and whether Chinese agents were involved in Xiao’s disappearance.
(REUTERS)

ntd newsletter icon
Sign up for NTD Daily
What you need to know, summarized in one email.
Stay informed with accurate news you can trust.
By registering for the newsletter, you agree to the Privacy Policy.
Comments