Beijing expands liaison office in Hong Kong as it seeks to tighten supervision, sources say
- About 100 additional staff said to have been transferred from mainland in the past year, many of them with skills in areas such as social media
- Central government’s liaison office has been given more responsibilities including making sure city is ‘ruled by patriots’
Beijing is sending new blood to its liaison office in Hong Kong as it seeks to tighten supervision and policy implementation in the city, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.
One mainland source said about 200 new cadres had been transferred to the central government’s liaison office in the past year, partly to replace others in jobs on rotation.
“The net increase was about 100,” the source said. “Some of the rotations planned for last year were delayed because of the pandemic and the circumstances in Hong Kong, so there have been more newcomers recently.”
He said many of them had been selected for their skills in areas such as social media and because they were “ready to start afresh” in Hong Kong.
A second source close to the liaison office said the cadres had all attended briefings, including on disciplinary issues, in Shenzhen before they arrived in Hong Kong. They were also vaccinated against Covid-19 while they were in the border city.