Tingjun Cao. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Tingjun Cao, 52, pleaded not guilty to the charges in September.
Bao vanished from Hornby in July. Despite extensive police searches across the city and rural areas such as Ellesmere, the 44-year-old is still missing.
Cao appeared by audio-visual link on Friday morning.
He was remanded in custody until his next appearance in February.
A trial date has been set for October next year.
