Hong Kong bookseller denies kidnapped by China, says to renounce UK citizenship

A Hong Kong bookseller and British passport holder who disappeared last year said he had not been kidnapped by Chinese authorities, as many suspect, but had sneaked into China illegally and that he would renounce his British citizenship. Lee Bo, a dual British and Hong Kong citizen, and four associates went missing over the past half year, sparking fears that Chinese authorities had abducted some of the men and taken them back to China.
The disappearances provoked concern that China was using shadowy tactics to erode the "one country, two systems" formula under which Hong Kong has been governed since its return to China from British rule in 1997. At least one of the men faces charges for selling and distributing books critical of China's Communist Party leaders that are banned in China.
In a 20-minute interview with China's Phoenix Television late on Monday, Lee gave the first detailed account of his disappearance from Hong Kong in December, saying he had returned to China voluntarily. "I have always felt that I'm a Hong Kong citizen, a Chinese citizen, and because people have used my British nationality to sensationalise and make the situation more complicated, that's why I'm deciding to give up my British nationality," said Lee, who appeared calm in the interview. "Why have I acted so mysteriously? It's because I've had to assist with a mainland Chinese investigation and it required testifying against some people."