bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

William Zheng

Zhang Xiaoming, formerly Beijing’s top official on Hong Kong and Macau affairs, has resigned from China’s top political advisory body, marking an official end to his political career, state media reported.
Zhang’s exit from the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), supervised by the ruling Communist Party, comes three months after he was removed as deputy secretary general of the political advisory body.
Zhang’s resignation as a member of the CPPCC’s Standing Committee and its National Committee was accepted at a Standing Committee meeting that adjourned on Thursday in Beijing.
The report by state-run Xinhua news agency was brief and did not give a reason for his resignation.
The 60-year-old Zhang was a ministerial-level official, putting him below the usual retirement age of 65 for that rank.
He began working at the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) in 1989 after graduating from the law school of Renmin University in Beijing. He served as the agency’s deputy director from 2004 to 2012.
He was promoted to director of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong in 2012, then became director of the HKMAO in 2017.
But Zhang’s term was rocked by anti-government protests in Hong Kong in 2019, which were triggered by an extradition bill that was withdrawn soon after the protests began.
In February 2020, the central government appointed Xia Baolong, then the CPPCC’s vice-chairman and secretary general, to take over as HKMAO director, while Zhang was made executive deputy director.
In 2022, Zhang was appointed to the role of CPPCC deputy secretary general. He was replaced at the HKMAO last year by Zhou Ji, the former deputy party secretary and security chief of Henan province.


The CPPCC Standing Committee also approved the resignation of Wang Tian, chairman of the Chinese electronics conglomerate BBK Group, from his role as a member of the political advisory body during the meeting that concluded on Thursday.
It also revoked the CPPCC membership of China’s former sports chief Gou Zhongwen, who was detained by anti-corruption authorities on May 30. Gou was also removed from his positions as a CPPCC Standing Committee member and deputy director of the CPPCC’s Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee.
The Standing Committee ratified the decision to revoke the CPPCC membership of former justice minister Tang Yijun, who was put under investigation for suspected corruption in April.
A few senior officials who retired from frontline duties were offered CPPCC roles at the meeting, including China’s former health minister Ma Xiaowei and former top financial regulator Yi Huiman.
Yi was appointed deputy director of the CPPCC’s Economic Committee, while Ma Xiaowei became deputy director of its Education, Science, Health and Sports Committee.
Wang Huning, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and chairman of the CPPCC, presided over the meeting, according to Xinhua.
He called on CPPCC members to conduct in-depth research and consultation, enhance democratic oversight and build consensus to make suggestions on and contribute to developing a “high-standard socialist market economy”.
After the meeting, Yin Shouyi, vice-dean of Tsinghua University’s school of integrated circuits, gave a lecture on the prospects and challenges of China’s chip industry.


Trump’s comeback no surprise for China – and this time Beijing is prepared

Unease over China proves pivotal in US election races in Michigan

In China, fear of regime change has shaped US policy. Here’s why

With Chinese official’s visit, Kenyan president says deal to fund and build highway is close

China’s Communist Party

Hong Kong affairs veteran resigns from China’s top advisory body, ending political career

Beijing’s former Hong Kong affairs office director Zhang Xiaoming has resigned from China’s top political advisory body at age 60, below the typical retirement age for ministerial-level officials. Photo: Simon Song

Does China need its own theory of economics? Some academics call for a new model

China’s development requires its own theory of economics, some academics say. Photo: AFP

China’s corruption watchdog targets Agriculture Minister Tang Renjian

Agriculture Minister Tang Renjian is the first member of the Communist Party’s 20th Central Committee to come under investigation. Photo: Getty Images

How China’s latest government overhaul is shaping up, and what it says about the Communist Party’s priorities

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

The Communist Party is tightening controvl over financial risk and social risks. Photo: Reuters

The latest overhaul is the third major government shake-up Xi Jinping has announced since coming to power. Photo: Reuters

New party organs responsible for science and technology are shrouded in secrecy. Photo: Xinhua

News

China

Politics

Zhang Xiaoming, whose time as director of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office was rocked by anti-government protests, exits the CPPCC


Zhang Xiaoming, whose time as director of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office was rocked by anti-government protests, exits the CPPCC.


Hong Kong protests

Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)