Defy Beijing from Hong Kong → get stapled in the leg? – China’s latest political and current affairs news

The Guardian reports that Howard Lam 林子健, a pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong, claims he was “abducted, blindfolded and beaten by mainland Chinese agents” — an interrogation that included them driving dozens of staples into his thighs — for attempting to send a message of support to Liu Xia 刘霞, the widow of the late Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo 刘晓波.

Wait, what?

• In early July, Lam had asked soccer star Lionel Messi to send over a signed photograph to cheer up the ailing Liu Xiaobo, an avid fan. He received the photo, though not before Liu died on July 13, the New York Times says (paywall).
• He then planned to send the photo to Liu’s widow, Liu Xia, but says that last week he received a threatening phone call from a mainland number — the other side spoke in Mandarin, the national language of China that is much less common in Cantonese-dominated Hong Kong. He says he was then confronted and abducted on the street and tortured overnight — again, by Mandarin-speaking strangers.
• The bizarre episode came to light at a press conference, where Lam told his story and displayed his staple wounds — he had deferred medical treatment to speak to the press.

The Hong Kong police are now conducting an investigation, though Lam says he does not trust the police, according to the South China Morning Post. As the Times notes (paywall), the “purported assault is the latest in a series of episodes that have left many in Hong Kong worried about China’s authoritarian influence.” A few of those episodes have been noted by the Times: the disappearance of five booksellers in 2015, the abduction of still-missing Chinese tycoon Xiao Jiahua 肖建华 in February this year, and the removal (paywall) of “six pro-democracy lawmakers over issues with their oaths of office, depriving their allies of enough votes to maintain a veto against the Legislative Council’s pro-Beijing camp.”

• South China Sea
  Beijing warns U.S. over navy patrol in South China Sea / NYT (paywall)
  “The loud, swift denunciations by the Chinese government stood in contrast to its muted public response to tensions over North Korea.”
  China resolutely opposes U.S. provocation in South China Sea: spokesperson / Xinhua
  Cash boost for Beijing’s floating nuclear reactors in South China Sea / SCMP
• Guo Wengui
  Five accused tell court that fugitive Guo Wengui was mastermind behind $60 million scheme / Caixin
• Japan
  Tokyo does not own the Sea of Japan, China’s air force chief says / Reuters
• Traffic accidents
  36 dead, 13 injured in NW China road accident / Xinhua
  Tunnel design flaw to blame for fatal bus crash, expert says / Sixth Tone
• Religion
  China missionaries seek converts on Belt and Road / FT (paywall)