London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Former UK consulate employee ‘tailed’ in Taiwan

Simon Cheng was detained for 15 days in Shenzhen for ‘soliciting prostitution’ and fled to Taiwan after release
Taiwan has become a safe haven in recent years for dissidents and anyone who fears being purged in Hong Kong.

When a major stakeholder of a Hong Kong bookstore known for selling salacious publications about Chinese leaders escaped detention in mainland China, he decided to seek shelter on the self-ruled island.

Last month, a former employee of the British consulate in Hong Kong, after being released by the public security bureau in Shenzhen following 15 days of detention for “soliciting prostitution,” also chose to flee to Taiwan.

But Simon Cheng soon felt what he thought was Beijing’s long arm while he was in Taipei, and told reporters he was constantly tailed during his three-month stay in the island’s capital.

Cheng, a Hongkonger who was detained in August after a business trip to the neighboring mainland city of Shenzhen, revealed over the past weekend that he had been followed by an “unknown person” throughout Taipei over the past months. He said he sought to stay away from the media and had been thinking about his next move following his release.

Another reason for choosing Taiwan was because he graduated from the National Taiwan University.

Cheng’s job as a commerce promotion officer with the British consulate required frequent trips to mainland China.

Taiwanese newspapers revealed that after Cheng contacted the local government in Taipei, authorities dispatched bodyguards and agents to protect him.

He broke his silence on his detention in China last month and spoke about how he was “tortured” as Chinese agents tried to prise out of him proof and information about the United Kingdom fanning and organizing Hong Kong’s ongoing protests.

Taipei police officials said their initial investigations found that the man following Cheng was not Taiwanese and did not appear to be associated with any local pro-China groups.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry also noted that London’s representative office contacted the ministry soon after Cheng’s arrival.

In his extensive interviews with the BBC and the Washington Post, which were published last month, Cheng said he had been coerced by Chinese agents into making a false confession about soliciting prostitution in Shenzhen to explain his detention.

“In truth, [Chinese agents] wanted to know what role the UK had in the Hong Kong protests … They asked what support, money and equipment [the British consulate in the city] were giving to the protesters,” he told the BBC.

He also added that Chinese police told him during his interrogation that many Hong Kong protesters who had been arrested were shipped across the border to China to be questioned and processed.

Following Cheng’s revelations, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab summoned Chinese Ambassador Liu Xiaoming over Cheng’s arrest and torture.

The British government offered Cheng a two-year working holiday visa, but Cheng was reportedly in talks to secure permanent residence or citizenship in the country, as he was looking for a job with the UK parliament or with a think tank.

He also plans to visit the United States and other Western countries to draw up support for Hong Kong and Taiwan’s freedoms and democracy.

The British consulate in Hong Kong declined to comment on Cheng’s remarks, adding that he was no longer a staffer and that the consulate had all along offered appropriate assistance to Cheng and his family during his detention.

It is understood that the consulate has stopped sending its employees to the mainland on business trips, a move also followed by the Canadian consulate.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×