Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday acknowledged meeting Peter Kwok (郭炎), a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), in Hong Kong earlier this month, but denied knowing his political status and insisted he visited the territory to learn about mudslide prevention.

Wu acknowledged his meeting with Kwok on Sept. 5 after the Chinese-language Apple Daily yesterday carried the story with a photo showing Wu standing with Kwok outside a restaurant in central Hong Kong preparing to leave after apparently having a meal together.