China Confirms It Has Detained Hong Kong British Consulate Staff as a Rally is Held Demanding His Release

People hold a portrait of British consulate worker Simon Cheng, during a gathering to petition the British government to assist in his release, outside the British Consulate in Hong Kong on Aug. 21, 2019. Chris McGrath/Getty Images

A missing employee of the British consulate in Hong Kong is confirmed to have been detained while on a work trip to Shenzhen City, the mainland Chinese city bordering Hong Kong.

On the evening of Aug. 21, roughly 50 Hongkongers gathered outside the British consulate to voice support for Simon Cheng, a Hong Kong citizen and employee of the Scottish Development International department of the British consulate, who had gone missing since early August.