American venture capitalist held on prostitution suspicion as China cracks down on bloggers

BEIJING, China – Police have detained a Chinese-American billionaire on suspicion of visiting a prostitute as China cracks down on bloggers on its already heavily restricted Internet.

Police and state media say venture capitalist Charles Xue was detained Friday evening in a Beijing neighbourhood along with a woman.

He is a naturalized American citizen who has over 12 million followers on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo. He regularly reposts reform-minded content and comments on other issues including China’s air quality and food safety.

The People’s Daily on Monday reminded the country’s “big Vs” — popular bloggers whose social media profiles are verified as genuine — that they should “use their right to expression responsibly.”

Xue’s arrest follows a string in recent days of people who triggered scandals online.