New departments for national security and propaganda coming to Beijing’s office on Hong Kong affairs
Beijing’s office in charge of Hong Kong affairs is reportedly establishing new departments focused on national security and propaganda, a move that one commentator says highlights the central government’s insecurity over its grasp on the city.
The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) will establish two new departments, one focusing on safeguarding national security, and another so-called news department, focusing on propaganda, according to a report in Sing Tao on Monday.
The move showed that while Beijing may feel it has a firm grasp on Hong Kong, it still feels insecure, said current affairs commentator Johnny Lau. Even if there is no threat, Lau said, “imaginary enemies” will be created.
HKMAO has seven internal departments, including one which has responsibility for distributing news releases and liaising with mainland Chinese journalists. Lau said he believed that the newly established “news” department would serve a “restructuring” purpose in order to strengthen the distribution of propaganda.
The national security department will be headed by Wang Zhenmin, who previously served as head of the legal department in Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, according to Sing Tao.
Executive Council member Ronny Tong told Apple Daily that he had not heard news of HKMAO’s expansion, but believed Wang was a suitable person to lead such a department because he was familiar with Hong Kong affairs.
Tong added that he believed the change would only be related to HKMAO’s consultative role, since the national security law does not assign specific responsibilities to the office.
Wang said that he was driving and could not speak when Sing Tao contacted him to ask about the development. He did not respond to a follow-up message.
During his time working in Hong Kong, Wang had harsh words for local critics of the Chinese government, saying that they had brains made of granite.
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