Top Beijing official handling Hong Kong affairs moved to nation’s political advisory body
- Zhang Xiaoming, formerly executive deputy director of State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, now at Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference
- Zhang has been appointed deputy secretary general at nation’s top political advisory body as it prepares to step up work relating to Hong Kong and Macau affairs
A senior Beijing official who has been handling Hong Kong affairs for more than three decades has been transferred to the nation’s top political advisory body as it seeks greater and more meaningful engagement with the local community, the Post has learned.
A mainland Chinese source on Tuesday said Zhang Xiaoming, formerly executive deputy director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), had been appointed deputy secretary general of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
But it remains unclear who will succeed Zhang at the HKMAO.
A second insider familiar with the personnel change said the move signified Beijing’s intention to strengthen the CPPCC’s work related to Hong Kong and Macau, in particular engaging people from different walks of life in both cities.
“Under the rule of President Xi Jinping, the CPPCC is no longer a decoration or a vase. The central leadership wants it to deliver,” the second source said, adding that Zhang would retain his ministerial rank.
“One of Zhang’s major tasks is to galvanise Hong Kong delegates to the CPPCC into action and ensure they play a bigger role in the city’s affairs,” the second source said.
