Communist Party taps Beijing’s top men in Hong Kong for spots in elite Central Committee
The appointments are seen as another way the central government has pulled Hong Kong into the national agenda
Beijing’s top representatives in Hong Kong and Macau, along with its point man on the two cities’ affairs, have been elevated into the Communist Party’s newly reshuffled Central Committee.
It marks a shift from the arrangement five years ago, when only the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) chief, based in Beijing under the State Council, was part of the body that helps guide the country’s policy and major personnel decisions.
Tuesday’s announcement by the Communist Party saw the installation of Beijing’s two liaison office chiefs in Hong Kong and Macau – Wang Zhimin and Zheng Xiaosong, respectively – into the 204-member prestigious powerhouse, alongside HKMAO director Zhang Xiaoming.
The appointments are seen as another way the central government has pulled Hong Kong into the national agenda, similar to the crucial role Beijing has said the city can play in initiatives such as the Greater Bay Area development plan.
However, some observers say the move shows Beijing’s reignited focus on what it considers to be potential sources of instability.
With Wang Zhimin, what will Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong be about?
“The congress stresses that, in order to ensure the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macau, the policies of ‘one country, two systems’, Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong, Macau people ruling Macau, and high degree of autonomy shall be comprehensively and correctly implemented,” President Xi Jinping said in the closing ceremony of the 19th party congress.
