Opinion | Beijing’s change of envoy in Hong Kong signals the end of the clean-up and start of rebuilding

During his tenure as liaison office director, Luo Huining was tasked with restoring order to Hong Kong after the chaos of 2019

His departure is the sign of a job well done, and new appointee Zheng Yanxiong can focus on building stronger ties with the mainland

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Newly appointed liaison office head Zheng Yanxiong meets the media before his first day work on January 16. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Published: 11:30am, 23 Jan 2023

The appointment of Zheng Yanxiong as the new director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong was sprung upon the city as Hongkongers were getting ready to hop into the Year of the Rabbit.

The departure of Luo Huining wasn’t surprising and should be celebrated. It’s nothing personal against Luo, but rather, a testament to how well he has done the job he was assigned to do: bring order back to the city after the chaos of 2019.

Luo is known to be an enforcer, and several important changes, such as reform of the city’s electoral system and implementation of the national security law, were made during his tenure.

Luo wasn’t here to stay or make friends; he was never meant to. He came in without having any previous working relationship with the city, and he didn’t interact much with local political and business leaders.

Early on, he let the city’s political leaders – at least the biggest pro-establishment political party – feel the chill of his cold shoulder. The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong sent a delegation to the Liaison Office for a visit a day after Luo took the reins. Luo didn’t even bother to give the group an audience.

This was a departure from the type of close relationship previous directors had with the groups like the DAB. Zhang Xiaoming’s calligraphy helped raise HK$32.6 million for the party during his tenure as director of the liaison office.