HONG KONG (AP) — Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of a Chinese-born Canadian billionaire reportedly taken away from his Hong Kong hotel by mainland police, in a case that could rekindle concerns about overreach by Chinese law enforcement in the semiautonomous city.
Chinese police officers escorted Xiao Jianhua from his suite at the luxury Four Seasons Hotel last Friday, according to overseas Chinese news sites that carry reports of political gossip and unverified corruption scandals.
Xiao is the founder of Beijing-based Tomorrow Group, a well-connected financial services company, and is worth nearly $6 billion, according to the Hurun Report, China’s version of the Forbes Rich List.
It’s unclear why Xiao has been targeted. China’s Ministry of Public Security and Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday, a public holiday in China.
His case has parallels with that of five Hong Kong booksellers who disappeared in 2015 only to turn up under control of the mainland authorities, sparking fears that Beijing was eroding Hong Kong’s wide autonomy and rule of law. The five sold gossipy books about China’s communist leaders that were banned on the mainland but popular with Chinese visitors.
Xiao is reported to have built his fortune in part because of close connections with the families of Communist Party leaders. In 2014, reports said he fled China to live in Hong Kong following rumors that he was the target of a graft investigation — reports he denied at the time.
A wide-reaching anti-corruption crackdown led by Chinese President Xi Jinping has snared dozens of executives at state companies.
In response to an inquiry about Xiao, Hong Kong police said that initial investigations showed the “subject” crossed into the mainland at a border checkpoint on Friday. They had launched the investigation after receiving a request for assistance from a family member on Saturday but a day later, the relative asked to withdraw the report after receiving a report that he was safe.
The police force said it has asked Chinese authorities for help in following up on the case.
Outside law enforcement agencies, including those from the mainland, are not authorized enforce the law in Hong Kong, the security bureau said in a statement.
Hong Kong’s Ming Pao newspaper carried a front-page ad Wednesday purportedly from Xiao, which said he was out of the country for medical treatment and denied he had been kidnapped.
Xiao is a Canadian citizen and a Hong Kong permanent resident so he is protected by the Canadian Consulate and Hong Kong laws, the ad said.
It added that he had an unspecified diplomatic passport. Xiao was named ambassador-at-large for Antigua and Barbuda in 2015, according to the Antigua government’s website.
The Canadian Consulate said it was aware of the reports and had contacted authorities “to gather additional information and provide assistance” but declined to provide further details.
A hotel spokeswoman said she could not comment because of active police investigation.
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This story has been corrected to show that booksellers disappeared in 2015.
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