The case of Liu Xiaobo symbolizes a broader reality: China’s human rights abuses are not confined within its borders. Through cases of cross-border abductions in Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and beyond, this article exposes how Chinese authorities operate internationally—and how silence and inaction by other nations enable these violations.
Ultimately, the case of Mr. Liu Xiaobo is symbolic, but China’s human rights issues are not confined to within China itself.
2017-08-05
What follows is a continuation of the previous chapter.
Fukushima:
Ultimately, the case of Mr. Liu Xiaobo is symbolic, but China’s human rights issues are not limited to within China.
All kinds of countries are involved.
Even now, in Southeast Asia and elsewhere, there are many cases of human rights violations by China.
For example, cross-border arrests by China are carried out in Thailand and Myanmar.
In Hong Kong as well, people are brazenly abducted.
Yaita:
They are not detained—they are “abducted.”
Fukushima:
I recently went to Hong Kong and met Mr. Lam Wing-kee, the manager of the Causeway Bay Bookstore, one of the victims abducted by the Chinese authorities.
In the autumn of 2015, a series of disappearances involving people connected to the bookstore occurred.
The store was reportedly planning to publish books such as “scandal exposés of President Xi Jinping,” and to stop this, five people—including shareholders, the manager, and staff—were abducted.
One of them, the owner Mr. Gui Minhai, was prosecuted in China for a hit-and-run drunk driving incident.
Mr. Lam was released once on the condition that he would return to China, but he broke that promise and held a press conference.
There, he revealed the circumstances of his abduction and detention.
He claims that this incident was carried out by an organization directly under the Xi Jinping administration.
Japan as a place of refuge from abduction
Fukushima:
After that, he effectively became a wanted person inside China.
If he returns to China, he will certainly be arrested.
But whether he is safe while staying in Hong Kong is another matter—today’s Hong Kong cannot be considered safe.
He himself was arrested after crossing passport control in Shenzhen, while his colleague Lee Bo was abducted in Hong Kong.
Yet the Hong Kong police said nothing.
After the Causeway Bay Bookstore abductions, in January 2017, a tycoon was abducted from the five-star Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong.
Even though it is clear that this was the work of the Chinese authorities, no one complained and the Hong Kong police did not investigate.
The hotel also made no comment despite a guest disappearing.
Yaita:
That prominent Chinese tycoon, Xiao Jianhua, was abducted together with his wife before the Lunar New Year.
The next day, only his wife returned and filed an abduction report with the Hong Kong police.
That was in the morning.
But by evening that same day, she withdrew the report.
The Hong Kong police could no longer investigate.
It seems that his wife is now in Japan.
Apparently she fled to Japan out of fear.
It seems she withdrew the report under pressure from the authorities.
Fukushima:
Quite a number of people are fleeing from Hong Kong to Japan, aren’t they (laughs).
Yaita:
If people come to Japan out of fear of abduction, then Japan is still considered safe.
Not only Taiwan and Hong Kong, but Thailand and Southeast Asia are all dangerous.
Fukushima:
There have already been abduction cases by Chinese authorities in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
For now, Japan is probably the safest place.
The military analyst He Pingfu (Andrei Pinkov), who had been based in Hong Kong, also moved to Japan at some point without anyone noticing (laughs).
To be continued.