China says woman of an ignorant Interpol president is threatened

China is "unaware" of reports that the wife of former Chinese Interpol president, arrested, has been threatened, a ministry spokesman said on Wednesday. Foreign Affairs.

However, Lu Kang told reporters that it would be "natural" for Chinese consular officials to contact the wife of Meng Hongwei, who disappeared after his trip to China last month from France, where is the seat of Interpol.

A few days later, China said that Meng was under investigation for corruption and possibly other crimes. His wife, Grace Meng, said that she had received a phone call from a Chinese-speaking man who had told her that a pair of "work crews" had been dispatched "just for you".

Grace Meng was placed under the protection of French police in Lyon while she was investigating whether Chinese agents had actually been sent to hurt her.

In response to a question about Meng Hongwei during a daily press briefing, Mr. Lu said that "the people concerned should not seek to excuse their corrupt and criminal acts" by "defaming" the government of President Xi Jinping, who has led a massive campaign against the transplant.

While saying that he had no information about the contact between Grace Meng and Chinese officials, Mr. Lu added that "if Meng Hongwei's wife is a Chinese citizen, it is natural that the missions Chinese diplomats are contacting it – all governments are doing it. "

Asked specifically about the alleged threats, Lu replied, "I'm not aware of the situation."

Meng Hongwei was deputy Chinese Minister of Public Security, while leading Interpol and a longtime Communist Party insider with decades of experience in China's sprawling security apparatus. The 64-year-old man appears to be the last high-ranking official to have been a victim of Xi's big purge, probably because of his relationship with other fallen officials.

Grace Meng said that she had put their two boys to bed when she had received the threatening call – a week after her last contact with her husband. On September 25, he sent him from China an emoji from a knife, suggesting that he was in danger.

The man who called her on her mobile phone spoke in Chinese, she said. She said the only clue he gave about his identity was that he was working for Meng, suggesting that this man was part of China's security apparatus. He also said that he knew where she was.

Chinese authorities said on Monday that Meng was under legal investigation for accepting bribes and other crimes attributable to his "will". A few hours earlier, Interpol had said that Meng had resigned from his post as president of the international police agency. It was not clear he did it freely.

China's decision to take it over from Interpol's president, a top international figure, has been particularly bold, even for an administration that, under Xi's leadership, has sought to assert his interests more aggressively on the world stage.