Canada Blocks Travel for Hong Kong Consulate Staff After Detention of UK Employee

Activists gather outside the British Consulate-General building in Hong Kong on Aug. 21, 2019, following reports that Simon Cheng, a Hong Kong consulate employee, had been detained by mainland Chinese authorities on his way back to the city. Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

The Canadian Consulate in Hong Kong has put a stop to all business travel outside the city for its staff after a British Consulate employee was detained in mainland China.

In a statement on Friday, a spokesperson for the consulate confirmed that employees will not be allowed to depart from the Chinese-owned region. “At present, locally engaged staff will not undertake official business travel outside of Hong Kong,” she said.