China is preparing to name a provincial law-enforcement official as the head of its agency overseeing Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reported, a sign that security remains Beijing’s priority four years after protests shook the financial hub.
(Bloomberg) — China is preparing to name a provincial law-enforcement official as the head of its agency overseeing Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reported, a sign that security remains Beijing’s priority four years after protests shook the financial hub.
Zhou Ji, 59, is traveling across the border with the current head of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Xia Baolong, the newspaper reported, citing a person familiar with the situation it didn’t name.
The trip is intended to introduce Zhou to the top job, the newspaper reported, without saying how exactly that is done. Xia would stay on “a few more months” while the office is revamped, it added, paving the way for Zhou to eventually take over.
See: How China’s National Security Law Changed Hong Kong: QuickTake
Beijing has moved to tighten its grip on the financial hub since major pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019. It introduced a sweeping national security law that’s been used to quash dissent, clamped down on media outlets and restructured the electoral system so that only lawmakers loyal to the ruling Communist Party can hold office.
Last year, John Lee, a former policeman and security minister, became leader of the former British colony. His hardline positions, including on handling protesters, were central to Beijing’s decision to anoint him the sole contender in the election, according members of the committee that ratified his candidacy.
The US has criticized China for its handling of Hong Kong, citing suppression of free speech, the targeting journalists and civil society groups, and moving to deny locals the right to freely select their leader.
Zhou was named deputy governor of Henan in 2021 and was later made head of the Communist Party commission that oversees law enforcement in the central province.
The party’s 24-member Politburo signed off on Zhou’s appointment as deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office at a meeting on June 30, the SCMP reported. Like Xia, Zhou has no prior experience on issues related to Hong Kong or Macau.
–With assistance from Jing Li.
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