Oh I'm not defending them whatsoever. Quite the opposite. I'm saying that this kind of thing is utterly normal in China, which is terrifying in and of itself. People go missing there all the time. This isn't even the first billionaire [1] - and that guy they grabbed from Hong Kong back before they renationalized it.

Knowing that, you'd expect him not to get too big for his britches in such a public way.

I expect a similar story arc here: he's going to pop up in a few months, explain he was seeking medical treatment, or he's discovered a new love of mining minerals on the western frontier, and apologize for the trouble he's caused. Then we'll never hear from him again.

[1] https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/20...