BEIJING: A vocal critic of China’s government has disappeared without a trace after security forces strong-armed their way into his home in the middle of a phone interview with a US-funded television network, reports AFP.

Retired academic Sun Wenguang, who is in his mid-80s, was speaking live to a Chinese-language TV show for Voice of America (VOA) when the authorities suddenly showed up.

“The police are here to interrupt again,” Sun said from his home in Jinan in the eastern province of Shandong, counting as many as eight intruders as he spoke in an audio broadcast on Wednesday.

“It’s illegal for you to come to my home. I have my freedom of speech!” are the final words heard from Sun.

The dramatic recording highlights the increasing intensity of China’s efforts to silence critics of its policies as the ruling Communist Party aggressively nurtures a cult of personality around President Xi Jinping.

Sun had written an open letter to Xi last month that criticised China’s chequebook diplomacy in Africa, releasing it just as the leader embarked on a trip to the continent, according to VOA and online screenshots that could not be independently verified by AFP.