City Beat | Getting to know more about one of Beijing’s top men on Hong Kong

Zhang Xiaoming’s recent ode to a predecessor and mentor gives a glimpse into how he views cross-border relations at a fraught time

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Zhang Xiaoming was Beijing’s top envoy in the city for five years. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 2:31pm, 3 Dec 2017Updated: 10:57pm, 3 Dec 2017

Many should be familiar with Sun Tzu’s words of wisdom: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.”

The same logic can be applied to the handling of Hong Kong’s relations with mainland China. Although the two sides are not enemies in any sense, there are many differences between them under the “one country, two systems” arrangement, and understanding Beijing’s thinking can be crucial.

To start with, it helps to learn more about a man who is now one of the key decision makers when it comes to Beijing’s Hong Kong policy. Zhang Xiaoming, who was Beijing’s top envoy in the city for five years, is now the head of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) under the State Council, as well as the deputy head of the Communist Party’s Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs under the powerful Politburo.

Zhang’s lengthy, just-published article in memory of his mentor, Lu Ping, who was director of the office during Hong Kong’s transition from British to Chinese rule, is quite telling. It explains why Zhang was regarded as a “hardliner” while in the city, although people close to him describe him as an academic type of official with a gentle demeanour.

Lu Ping famously branded Chris Patten ‘a sinner of 1,000 years’. Photo: SCMP Pictures

In the article, Zhang for the first time told the story of how, as a law student, he gave up his promised teaching post at his Beijing alma mater, Renmin University, in 1985 to join the HKMAO.

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.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}City Beat | Getting to know more about one of Beijing’s top men on Hong Kong

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Zhang Xiaoming’s recent ode to a predecessor and mentor gives a glimpse into how he views cross-border relations at a fraught time

City Beat | Getting to know more about one of Beijing’s top men on Hong Kong

Zhang Xiaoming’s recent ode to a predecessor and mentor gives a glimpse into how he views cross-border relations at a fraught time