The US State Department said on Saturday that it was deeply concerned that a Swedish citizen and Hong Kong-based bookseller, Gui Minhai, had been detained in China and called for him to be allowed to leave the country.

The Swedish government has said that Gui, who has published books on the personal lives of President Xi Jinping and other Communist Party leaders, was taken into custody last week while traveling with Swedish diplomats to seek medical treatment in Beijing.

The European Union&rsquo;s ambassador to China has called on the Chinese authorities to release Gui immediately, echoing demands from Stockholm.

&ldquo;We are deeply concerned that Swedish citizen Gui Minhai was detained,&rdquo; State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

&ldquo;We call on Chinese authorities to explain the reasons and legal basis for Mr. Gui&rsquo;s arrest and detention, disclose his whereabouts, and allow him freedom of movement and the freedom to leave China,&rdquo; she said.

The United States and European allies would continue to promote &ldquo;greater respect for human rights in China,&rdquo; she said.

Asked this week about the Swedish and EU demands for Gui&rsquo;s release, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman described the appeals as &ldquo;baseless.&rdquo;

Gui had been abducted in Thailand while on holiday in 2015, one of five Hong Kong booksellers who went missing that year and later appeared in custody on mainland China. The four others have returned to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with a guarantee of wide-ranging freedoms, including freedom of speech, but critics accuse Communist Party rulers in Beijing of creeping interference in the city&rsquo;s affairs.

Chinese authorities said Gui was freed in October after serving a two-year sentence for a traffic-related crime in 2003.

Gui&rsquo;s daughter Angela told Radio Sweden he was taken off a train by plainclothes police while en route to the capital to get medical attention for a neurological ailment.

Sweden&rsquo;s Foreign Ministry has twice summoned China&rsquo;s ambassador to Stockholm to explain the situation.

Gui Minhai was one of five Hong Kong-based booksellers known for salacious titles about the lives of China's political elite

The US State Department said on Saturday that it was deeply concerned that a Swedish citizen and Hong Kong-based bookseller, Gui Minhai, had been detained in China and called for him to be allowed to leave the country. The Swedish government has said that Gui, who has published books on the personal lives of President Xi Jinping and other Communist Party leaders, was taken into custody last week while traveling with Swedish diplomats to seek medical treatment in Beijing. The European Union’s ambassador to China has called on the Chinese authorities to release Gui immediately, echoing demands from Stockholm. “We are deeply concerned that Swedish citizen Gui Minhai was detained,” State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. “We call on Chinese authorities to explain the reasons and legal basis for Mr. Gui’s arrest and detention, disclose his whereabouts, and allow him freedom of movement and the freedom to leave China,” she said. The United States and European allies would continue to promote “greater respect for human rights in China,” she said. Asked this week about the Swedish and EU demands for Gui’s release, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman described the appeals as “baseless.” Gui had been abducted in Thailand while on holiday in 2015, one of five Hong Kong booksellers who went missing that year and later appeared in custody on mainland China. The four others have returned to Hong Kong. Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with a guarantee of wide-ranging freedoms, including freedom of speech, but critics accuse Communist Party rulers in Beijing of creeping interference in the city’s affairs. Chinese authorities said Gui was freed in October after serving a two-year sentence for a traffic-related crime in 2003. Gui’s daughter Angela told Radio Sweden he was taken off a train by plainclothes police while en route to the capital to get medical attention for a neurological ailment. Sweden’s Foreign Ministry has twice summoned China’s ambassador to Stockholm to explain the situation.

US 'deeply concerned' by detention of Swedish citizen in China

A senior Hong Kong delegation will head to Beijing for talks following explosive revelations by a bookseller who said he was detained for eight months on the mainland, the city&#39;s leader said Monday. 
 
Lam Wing-kee, 61, has said he was seized after crossing the border into the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, taken away blindfolded and then kept in a cell without access to a lawyer for alleged involvement in bringing banned books into the mainland. 
 
The case has laid bare growing anxiety that the semi-autonomous city&#39;s freedoms are disappearing. 
 
Lam was one of five employees of a Hong Kong firm, which published gossipy books about leading Chinese politicians, to go mysteriously missing last year. All later emerged in mainland China. 
 
Hong Kong&#39;s Beijing-backed chief executive Leung Chun-ying said a team of senior officials would visit Beijing Tuesday to discuss Lam&#39;s case and review the &quot;existing notification mechanism between the two places&quot;. 
 
Under that mechanism, authorities on the mainland are required to give clear details about arrests and detentions of Hong Kong citizens over the border, a procedure critics say went disastrously wrong in the booksellers&#39; case. 
 
&quot;(Officials) will go to Beijing tomorrow morning (and) meet with relevant departments in order to improve the existing mechanism. It will be a comprehensive and in-depth review,&quot; Leung told reporters. 
 
He added mainland authorities would also brief the Hong Kong officials, including the city&#39;s justice and security ministers as well as heads of police and immigration, on Lam&#39;s case. 
 
Lam was due to lead a pro-democracy march Friday to mark the 19th anniversary of the city&#39;s handover from Britain to China, but pulled out at the last minute citing a &quot;serious threat&quot; to his security. 
 
Hong Kong security minister Lai Tung-kwok said Lam had filed a report over his claims and investigation was underway. 
 
The Hong Kong government has been accused of dragging its feet over the booksellers&#39; case, with residents demanding to know what authorities have done to try to help them. There have also been accusations China has illegally sent its security agents to operate in Hong Kong. 
 
Fellow bookseller Lee Bo disappeared on Hong Kong soil, spurring fears that he was detained by Chinese personnel. 
 
Hong Kong was returned by Britain to China in 1997 under a deal which allows it freedoms unseen on the mainland, but there is concern they are now being eroded. 
 
(AFP)

Lam Wing-kee, 61, has said he was seized for alleged involvement in bringing banned books into the mainland

A senior Hong Kong delegation will head to Beijing for talks following explosive revelations by a bookseller who said he was detained for eight months on the mainland, the city's leader said Monday. Lam Wing-kee, 61, has said he was seized after crossing the border into the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, taken away blindfolded and then kept in a cell without access to a lawyer for alleged involvement in bringing banned books into the mainland. The case has laid bare growing anxiety that the semi-autonomous city's freedoms are disappearing. Lam was one of five employees of a Hong Kong firm, which published gossipy books about leading Chinese politicians, to go mysteriously missing last year. All later emerged in mainland China. Hong Kong's Beijing-backed chief executive Leung Chun-ying said a team of senior officials would visit Beijing Tuesday to discuss Lam's case and review the "existing notification mechanism between the two places". Under that mechanism, authorities on the mainland are required to give clear details about arrests and detentions of Hong Kong citizens over the border, a procedure critics say went disastrously wrong in the booksellers' case. "(Officials) will go to Beijing tomorrow morning (and) meet with relevant departments in order to improve the existing mechanism. It will be a comprehensive and in-depth review," Leung told reporters. He added mainland authorities would also brief the Hong Kong officials, including the city's justice and security ministers as well as heads of police and immigration, on Lam's case. Lam was due to lead a pro-democracy march Friday to mark the 19th anniversary of the city's handover from Britain to China, but pulled out at the last minute citing a "serious threat" to his security. Hong Kong security minister Lai Tung-kwok said Lam had filed a report over his claims and investigation was underway. The Hong Kong government has been accused of dragging its feet over the booksellers' case, with residents demanding to know what authorities have done to try to help them. There have also been accusations China has illegally sent its security agents to operate in Hong Kong. Fellow bookseller Lee Bo disappeared on Hong Kong soil, spurring fears that he was detained by Chinese personnel. Hong Kong was returned by Britain to China in 1997 under a deal which allows it freedoms unseen on the mainland, but there is concern they are now being eroded. (AFP)

Hong Kong delegation to visit Beijing for talks over 'detention of bookseller'

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