‘A man who understands Hong Kong’: Beijing’s new liaison office head vows to bridge communication between city and central authorities
- Zheng Yanxiong, 59, says city will have ‘everlasting prosperity’ as long as it does not take ‘wrong direction’
- He was in 2020 appointed as head of the Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong
Beijing’s new top envoy to Hong Kong has pledged to bridge communication between the city and mainland China by speaking more of the financial hub to the central government and vice versa.
Newly appointed liaison office director Zheng Yanxiong, 59, on Monday said Hong Kong had a bright future and all the qualities to succeed, as long as it did not descend into chaos or head in the wrong direction.
“I will work hard to be a man who understands Hong Kong, loves Hong Kong and strives for the best for Hong Kong,” Zheng vowed while addressing the press for the first time as office chief.
“In Hong Kong, I will speak more of Beijing’s words. In Beijing, I will speak more of Hong Kong’s words.”
National security chief in Hong Kong takes reins at liaison office
He said he and his colleagues would spare no effort to implement Beijing’s policies, better deliver messages of care from central authorities and support the chief executive and his administration to govern in accordance with the rule of law.
Zheng, formerly the head of Beijing’s national security office in the city, also gave his interpretation of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s words to city leader John Lee Ka-chiu during the latter’s duty visit to the capital last month.
Xi had mentioned Hong Kong had much to accomplish and held boundless prospects.
Zheng on Monday added: “Hong Kong has the ideal time, location and social conditions, which are incomparable. As long as it is not chaotic and it does not go in the wrong direction, its development will be very promising – it will have everlasting prosperity.”
Professor Lau Siu-kai, a consultant at semi-official Beijing think tank the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, cautioned against overinterpreting Zheng’s remarks on communication. He said people should not see Zheng as someone who would represent Hong Kong’s interests based on his remarks on Monday.
“His loyalty lies with the central government, he is the central government’s representative in Hong Kong to implement all of its policies in Hong Kong,” he said.
Lau noted the main role of the liaison office director was to implement and institute the central government’s policies, but having the ability to build an affinity with residents and effectively communicate in Cantonese would help Zheng to do his job better.
The State Council on Saturday announced Zheng would take over from former liaison office head Luo Huining, who has retired. Zheng on Monday stressed the change in position was a “normal work arrangement”.
Before taking up his positions in Hong Kong, Zheng was known for his hardline approach in the handling of the Wukan village protests of 2011.
Serving as a top party official in the Guangdong city of Shanwei at the time, he was filmed in a leaked video making controversial remarks about the villagers involved and foreign media covering the protests.
Zheng, a graduate with a master’s degree in economics from Sun Yat-sen University, also worked at the southern bureau of People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s mouthpiece, from 1992 to 2002.
After taking over from Luo, Zheng on Saturday laid out several personal goals, pledging to uphold loyalty and virtue, learn modestly, be strict in examining himself, dare to fight and win, and lead his team well. He also noted that Hong Kong work was a “big national issue” of significant importance.
In his first Lunar New Year speech as director, Zheng on Sunday called on Hong Kong to boost its competitive position and “unleash the driving force of prosperity” by increasing its attractiveness as quarantine-free travel with mainland China restarted.
