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Wang Zhimin was keen to sound upbeat when he faced the media. Picture: Jun Mai

Beijing’s top official in Hong Kong shrugs off doubts over future by thanking ‘reporter friends’ for their concern

  • Wang Zhimin, head of the liaison office, refused to discuss reports that he would be moved to another post and asked reporters if he was ‘looking great’
  • Wang’s future has been put under the spotlight amid a debate about whether his office misled the mood in the city during the ongoing protests

When senior Chinese officials delivered a stern message to Hong Kong on Tuesday, much of the attention was focused on the official diligently taking notes as the most senior figure spoke.

Wang Zhimin, Beijing’s top representative in the city, has seen his political fate become the talk of the town as the city’s anti-government protests – triggered by a now-withdrawn extradition bill – dragged on into their sixth month.

Much of the discussion has centred on whether Beijing had misread the mood in Hong Kong because Wang’s Central People’s Government Liaison Office failed to pass on accurate intelligence.

A landslide defeat for pro-Beijing candidates in the city’s district council elections last month, as well as speculation in the international media – later denied by the foreign ministry – that Wang was about to be replaced, have only added to the whirl of gossip.

But when he appeared at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday, for a symposium to mark the 20th anniversary of Macau’s return to Chinese rule, Wang appeared keen to put a positive face on things.

“How is it? Do I look great?” he asked reporters after the event.

When asked about reports of his imminent reassignment, Wang pledged to “continue to serve the city”, without directly answering the question, but added: “Thanks for the attention paid to me and the liaison office by our reporter friends.”

Top Chinese official praises Macau, warns Hong Kong to toe state constitutional line

Wang had earlier appeared at ease while shaking hands with Guangdong governor Ma Xingrui and other officials, before Li Zhanshu, the No 3 in the Communist Party hierarchy, delivered his message that Hong Kong should “pay heed to the central government’s policies”.

“I will continue to fight so as not to fail the expectations of the Hong Kong people, our reporter friends and the party’s central leadership with Xi Jinping as the core,” said Wang afterwards, wearing a golden Mao Zedong badge in his lapel.

Wang’s superior Han Zheng, the top leader overseeing Hong Kong and Macau affairs, also attended the event, as did his aide Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, who gave a brief speech.

Staff reprimanded after Chinese flag is raised upside down outside liaison office in Hong Kong

The Post has previously reported that Han, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, had made multiple trips to Shenzhen – just across the border with Hong Kong – to meet the city’s officials.

However, he remained tight-lipped throughout Tuesday’s meeting.

After Li had finished speaking, the moderator of the event looked across to Han to ask if he had anything to add. But he just shook his head. And with that the meeting was over.

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