Due to the impact of the Wuhan pneumonia Epidemic prevention and control, Carrie Lam’s presentation to Xi Jinping, originally scheduled for December 2020, was postponed to this year online. Compared with the past, there were changes in the participants of this meeting, foreshadowing personnel changes in Hong Kong and Macau affairs of the CPC Central Committee.
Xinhua News Agency, the official media of the Communist Party of China, said that President Xi Jinping listened to Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s report on the 2020 annual duty briefing by video link in Beijing on the afternoon of Jan. 27. Xi said that apart from the Wuhan pneumonia epidemic, the CPC Central Committee “fully recognizes” Lam’s ability to resolutely implement the “Hong Kong version of the National Security Law” enacted by the National People’s Congress and her firm support for Beijing’s position on issues related to national security. The report said that Han, Ding, and the Chinese government have been “fully positive” about her performance.
The report said that Han Zheng, Ding Xuexiang, Guo Shengkun, You Quan, Xia Baolong and others attended the report.
In the Xinhua video, Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office in Beijing, and Luo Huining, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office and director of the Hong Kong Liaison Office in Hong Kong, also attended the meeting.
On the afternoon of Dec. 16, 2019, Xi Jinping met with Carrie Lam, who came to present her report, at Yingtai in Zhongnanhai. Han Zheng, Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Guo Shengkun and You Quan attended the meeting, Xinhua News Agency and other official media reported.
Xi Jinping met with Carrie Lam at Yingtai in Zhongnanhai on the afternoon of Dec. 17, 2018. Xinhua News Agency and other official media reported that Han Zheng, Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, You Quan and others attended the meeting.
Xi Jinping meets with Carrie Lam at Yingtai in Zhongnanhai on the afternoon of Dec. 15, 2017. Xinhua News Agency and other official media reported that Zhang Dejiang, Ding Xuexiang, Sun Chunlan, Yang Jiechi and You Quan attended the meeting.
Comparing the list of participants in the four years of official media reports, Ding Xuexiang, who has served as the director of the General Office of the Central Government and head of the State President’s Office since 2017, attended all the meetings and consistently ranked second.
In December 2017, Zhang Dejiang was the then head of the CPC Central Committee’s Hong Kong and Macao Working Coordination Group; Sun Chunlan had just stepped down as minister of the United Front Work Department in November, but attended the meeting as deputy head of the Hong Kong and Macao Working Coordination Group; and You Quan had just taken over as minister of the United Front Work Department. 2018 began with Han Zheng taking over as head of the Hong Kong and Macao Working Group, and Sun Chunlan moving to exit the group as vice premier.
In the summer of 2019, a massive “anti-China delivery” campaign broke out in Hong Kong. As a result, when Carrie Lam reported to Zhongnanhai in Beijing, Guo Shengkun, secretary of the Central Committee of Political and Legal Affairs, attended as deputy head of the group. According to a commentary in Hong Kong’s pro-communist media, Guo’s participation highlights the possibility that Beijing authorities may further strengthen their policy of “stopping violence and curbing chaos“.
As the secretary-general of the Foreign Affairs Working Committee of the CPC Central Committee and the head of its office, Yang Jiechi, in his capacity as deputy head of the Central Working Group on Hong Kong and Macau, was absent from this year’s briefing session with Carrie Lam, drawing attention from the outside world.
In this regard, Lu Xiuyuan, a researcher of “Tianjun Politics and Economics”, believes that there may be two reasons for Yang Jiechi to attend the meeting. First, although Yang Jiechi is a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee (with vice-state status), he was born in May 1950 and has already reached the age of retirement.
Second, since the Beijing authorities introduced the “Hong Kong version of the National Security Law”, which in essence completely abolished “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong, coupled with the upgrading of the Central Coordination Group for Hong Kong and Macau to a leading group and the participation of the political and legal system, it is clear that Xi Jinping has already treated Hong Kong and Macau affairs as national security affairs. Therefore, Yang Jiechi does not need to attend the meeting anymore.
If the diplomatic system no longer participates in the work of Hong Kong and Macao in the future, then it is equivalent to losing an opportunity to make money. In the official circles of the Communist Party, the work on Hong Kong and Macao affairs is very lucrative, and all forces want to get involved in it. Perhaps this is also a signal for Xi Jinping to make adjustments to the personnel of Hong Kong and Macao work.
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