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Xue Charles Bi-Chuen, an investor and prolific microblogger was arrested in Beijing last Friday. |
Police in Beijing have captured 27 people after they were found to have been involved in prostitution, including Chinese-American Xue Charles Bi-Chuen, who is a famous online commentator.
Xue, 60, an investor and prolific microblogger with more than 12 million followers, was arrested in the Chaoyang District of Beijing last Friday, police said.
Xue was accused of group licentiousness for participating in group sex parties, according to police, adding that among the detainees nine were male and 18 were female, who were captured in late August.
Investigation found Xue, whose Chinese name was “Xue Biqun” and was verified as “Xue Manzi” in Sina Weibo, China’s most popular Twitter-like service, came to China in 2007 and had engaged in licentious activities with more than ten female sex workers since May this year.
He also admitted that he has a problem with his addiction to soliciting prostitutes.
After the local police reported Xue’s detaining to the U.S. embassy on Saturday, the embassy sent its consular officers to visit him on Monday afternoon.
“We are aware that a US citizen has been detained in Beijing, and the embassy will provide all appropriate consular assistance,” Justin Higgins, acting spokesman of the US embassy, told the Global Times late Wednesday in an interview, but refused to make further comment due to “considerations of privacy.”
The case is still under investigation, local police said.
Xue Manzi, who currently has over 12 million Weibo followers, has advocated for critical illness insurance in China, initiated a campaign to track down trafficked children and called for transparent details on pollution in the country.
Xinhua contributed to this story.
