Meng, 64, was named president of Interpol in November 2016, and his term is slated to end in 2020. He is the first Chinese citizen to head the body and was previously China's vice minister of public security.
The circumstances of his disappearance have raised the possibility that he may have fallen into the dragnet of China's multi year anti-corruption campaign, which has seen thousands of officials and business executives suddenly vanish before re emerging to face government charges months later.
That would be a stunning reversal for Meng, who was elected to head Interpol two years ago at the precise moment China was seeking international help to arrest corrupt officials. In recent years, China has submitted to Interpol extensive lists of repatriation targets and "red notices" - an international alert for a wanted person - for what it says are corrupt fugitives.
At the time of his appointment, human rights groups expressed concern about the opacity of China's legal system and warned that Beijing could use its clout in Interpol to arrest political dissidents.
During Meng's tenure, China has submitted "red notices" for dissident business executives and figures such as the German national Dolkun Isa, the head of the Munich-based World Uighur Congress that represents the Uighur minority in far western China. China has labelled Isa a terrorist but has not provided public proof.
China last year also requested multiple Interpol red notices seeking the arrest of Guo Wengui, a dissident billionaire who had fled to New York while claiming he possessed explosive secrets about the Communist Party leadership.
