China’s home security chief attends Hong Kong national security office opening
- Chen Siyuan’s presence shows Beijing regards the city as a serious threat to stability on the mainland, experts say
- Law enforcement veteran poses for group photo but delivers no official speech at opening ceremony
Chen Siyuan, assistant public security minister, attended the opening of the Office for Safeguarding National Security but did not deliver any official speech.
After the ceremony, he joined Zheng Yanxiong, director of the new office, and the two deputy directors, Li Jiangzhou and Sun Qingye, as well as Ma Yinming, its disciplinary head and a member of China’s anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Commission of Discipline Inspection, for a group photo.
Chen, 55, is in charge of the public security ministry’s Domestic Security Bureau, known as “Bureau No 1” among insiders. He is also head of the ministry’s Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan Affairs Office.
A source said Chen, whose portfolio covers China’s internal security and Hong Kong affairs, would be a key link between Beijing and the new office in the city on security issues. “His presence [in Hong Kong] shows that, in Beijing’s eyes, [ensuring] Hong Kong’s security is ‘mission critical’,” said the source, who requested anonymity.
