Explainer | Who is Xia Baolong, Beijing’s top man on Hong Kong affairs, and what is his fact-finding visit about?
- Xia Baolong, Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs, has embarked on his second visit to the city in 10 months to learn about local developments
- The Post dives into what you need to know about the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office and what this visit means for the city
Xia Baolong, Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs, has arrived on his second visit in 10 months to learn how the city is doing as its pandemic-hit economy recovers.
During his seven-day visit starting on Thursday, the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) will get first-hand accounts from local representatives about economic conditions and district governance on the ground.
Here is what you need to know about the top official and what his latest visit will mean for the city.
1. Who is Xia Baolong and when did he begin overseeing Hong Kong affairs?
Xia Baolong, 71, took the helm of the State Council’s HKMAO in 2020, months after the city was rocked by unprecedented social unrest triggered by a now-withdrawn extradition bill.
He served as secretary general and vice-chairman of the country’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, at the time.
His appointment came about a month after Beijing replaced Wang Zhimin with former provincial party chief Luo Huining as its top envoy in Hong Kong in the first major leadership shuffle since the 2019 unrest. Wang was blamed in some quarters for the turmoil that escalated under his watch.
