The Hong Kong publisher who reportedly went missing sent a letter saying he is currently in China and is assisting the authorities in an investigation.

When Lee Bo mysteriously vanished on Wednesday, an issue arose between Hong Kong and China over speculations that the publisher was illegally abducted by Beijing authorities. However, Lee recently told a colleague in a letter that he is in China and is "cooperating with the authorities" in an ongoing probe, according to The Washington Post.

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Lee is one of the five members of the Mighty Current publishing firm who had vanished suddenly as the company was reportedly planning to publish a book about Chinese President Xi Jinping's romantic life. There are some lawmakers and experts who think Beijing police illegally detained the Hong Kong-based book seller, the report details.

The Hong Kong publisher reportedly sent a handwritten fax to one of his colleagues at Mighty Current subsidiary Causeway Bay Books to say that he voluntarily travelled to China to assist in the investigation and that he is in a good situation. The fax was published by Taiwan's Central News Agency, the report relays.

However, the letter itself also became the subject of suspicion because Hong Kong police said Lee did not leave any immigration trail. In addition, his wife Sophie Choi said he did not have travel papers with him at the time of his disappearance. On Monday, the wife withdrew the complaint she filed with Hong Kong police, the report adds.

"I think it's a charade performed under duress," the Post quotes democratic Civic Party's lawmaker Claudia Mo. "He has obviously been smuggled out, but his wife has got the message that keeping a low profile would help his release, because the Chinese would save face."

Pro-democracy lawmakers say the alleged abduction of Lee goes against the "one country, two systems" principle that has delineated Beijing's ties with Hong Kong since 1997, a Reuters report published on CNBC says.

On Monday, Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying said there was no sign that Chinese police abducted Lee. On the other hand, the pro-Beijing leader also called Chinese authorities' independent operation in Hong Kong as an unacceptable move.

TagsHong Kong, missing publisher, missing bookseller, Lee Bo