Beijing’s surprise choice to spearhead the national security law in Hong Kong

Guangdong-born Cantonese speaker Zheng Yanxiong will be the public face of the agency overseeing implementation of the law in the city

The hardliner has a background in propaganda that some analysts say could serve him well in his new role

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Zheng Yanxiong speaks Cantonese and has a background in propaganda. Photo: VCG

Published: 8:00am, 4 Jul 2020Updated: 1:40pm, 4 Jul 2020

Beijing surprised even insiders by picking a veteran Guangdong official, instead of a senior officer from the mainland’s law enforcement or intelligence apparatus, to head the all-powerful agency overseeing the enforcement of the national security law in Hong Kong.

But mainland analysts studying Hong Kong affairs said the appointment of Zheng Yanxiong, former secretary general of the Guangdong Communist Party committee, showed that President Xi Jinping wanted a hardliner familiar with propaganda and Hong Kong affairs as the “public face” for the Office for Safeguarding National Security.

The day-to-day operations of the office will be handled by Zheng’s two deputies, Li Jiangzhou and Sun Qingye. The former is a veteran public security officer and has worked in the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong since 2016. Sun is a senior official from China’s intelligence agency, according to government sources.

The detailed office structure is not expected to be made public. Most officials in the office are expected to keep a low profile, according to official sources.

The national security office is the fourth Beijing outpost to be established in Hong Kong. It has the power to supervise how the Hong Kong government implements the national security law as well as gather intelligence and handle cases directly at its discretion. It is also charged with working with other central and local government agencies to tighten control over foreign non-government organisations and media in Hong Kong.

Zheng, 56, is a fluent Cantonese speaker and spent his political career in Guangdong. He was the party secretary of Shanwei when the village of Wukan under Shanwei’s administration made international headlines in 2011 by mounting a series of protests against land acquisition by the local government. After months of unrest and the arrest of village leaders, the authorities reached a rare deal with the protesters and the villagers directly elected their own community leader, only for him to be jailed five years later on corruption charges when the villagers planned to stage another protest.

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