Overstepping the mark?
According to the Chinese zodiac, the Rooster is supposed to usher in a year of change but Hong Kong’s lunar year began with a disturbingly familiar saga: the sudden disappearance of a prominent resident and speculation that he was smuggled to authorities on the mainland. Xiao Jianhua, a Chinese billionaire with political ties, has not been seen in a week; some reports said he was spotted being escorted out of his residence at the Four Seasons. Parallels have been drawn with the case of Hong Kong bookseller Lee Bo who vanished in 2015 only to return months later after an international outcry. If it’s revealed that Xiao was picked up by police from the mainland then Beijing’s presumptuous attitude towards Hong Kong – and its separate legal system – is getting even more brazen.