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The Chinese government confirmed on Wednesday the arrest of an employee of the United Kingdom consulate in Hong Kong, who has been missing since August 8, in a context of tension over demonstrations in the former British colony.

Asked at a press conference, the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry , Geng Shuang , said the man had been placed under administrative detention for 15 days in Shenzhen , a neighboring Chinese city of Hong Kong, for having violated a public security law.

It has not been specified exactly what infractions are charged or if he will be released. The Chinese government spokesman stressed that he was not of British nationality but of Hong Kong, "that is, Chinese." "Therefore, it is a Chinese domestic matter," the spokesman said.

The British Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it was "extremely concerned" about information about the arrest in China of an employee of his consulate. Hong Kong police had confirmed the opening of an investigation into a disappearance case on August 9.

His family, who revealed his identity on Facebook, said the employee, named Simon Cheng , went to Shenzhen on August 8 for a business meeting. The family said they had lost contact with him at night while heading home and preparing to pass customs checks to return to Hong Kong.

The case occurs when relations between Beijing and London have been strained by protests that have taken place over two months in the former British colony that returned to China in 1997. The Chinese spokesman accused the British government on Wednesday of "fanning the flames "of protest against the influence of Beijing in Hong Kong.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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  • Hong Kong
  • China
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