He Jiankui Update

He's hopes of going to Hong Kong have now been dashed

An update on He Jiankui's visa -- hours after he made the announcement, the Hong Kong government has now revoked the controversial biophysicist's visa because he had been jailed for illegal medical practices.

"After the immigration department reviewed the application, it suspected that someone made false statements to get the visa approval," the statement said. "The director of immigration has declared that the visa is invalid in accordance with the law."

It added law enforcement officers would conduct a criminal investigation to follow up the case.

This shows the "Top Talent Pass Scheme" is not stringently vetting applicants, nor considering the possibility that convicted criminals might try to apply...

Hong Kong Labour Minister Chris Sun Yuk-han refused to comment on individual cases, but acknowledged that applicants have not needed to disclose any criminal record in the application process. He said applicants will have to do so starting Wednesday.

So guess He won't be moving to the city anytime soon...

Gene-Editing Biophysicist Gets HK Visa

He back in 2018 explaining how he gene-edited in vitro

We temporarily interrupt our report on San Diego to bring the news that the Chinese biophysicist who performed gene editing in vitro on twins in 2018 has recently been granted a visa to live and work in Hong Kong under the "Top Talent Pass Scheme".

This scheme is Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu's attempt to lure talent back to the city in a bid to stem the ongoing exodus of people from academics to lawyers, financiers, teachers and students.

However, allowing the controversial He Jiankui -- who was convicted under Chinese law and spent three years in jail for this illegal medical practice -- into Hong Kong not only rings alarm bells to the highest level ethically, but also speaks to how desperate the city is to accumulate "talent".

He was jailed for three years for illegal practice

He posted on WeChat on Saturday that he had been granted a Hong Kong visa on February 11 under the "Top Talent Pass Scheme" that was launched on December 28 last year.

In addition he wrote he was "optimistic about [the future of] Hong Kong", and that he was excited to continue his research there, but did not elaborate with whom.

Why is the Hong Kong government allowing a well-known person who was convicted and completed his sentence in April to be approved for this visa? 

Meanwhile people in the medical research field are shocked that He is coming to the city.

A veteran medical researcher with a Hong Kong university said on condition of anonymity that he found the news of He coming was "pretty surprising".

"He obviously has a criminal record in the mainland... I can't imagine anyone in universities would collaborate with him," the researcher said.

Five years later with much less hair

Ah, but now with practically all the universities in Hong Kong now run by chancellors with mainland Chinese backgrounds who are more pliant, surely it wouldn't be hard for the government to gently twist an arm or two to give He a position?

This is what Hong Kong has become -- a haven for sanctioned Russian oligarchs [Alexei Mordashov] and convicted Chinese biophysicists... sounds like just the right mix of people the city needs to get back on its feet.