The Hong Kong delegation to the First Session of the 14th National People’s Congress of the Communist Party of China held a plenary meeting on March 5. Zheng Yanxiong, a representative of the National People’s Congress of the Communist Party of China and director of the Liaison Office in Hong Kong, stated at the meeting that safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests are the highest principle and fundamental bottom line of “one country, two systems”, and emphasized that “Hong Kong independence” is a dead end and “solicit speculation” “is a dead end, superstitious belief in the West is an evil road, political rent-seeking is a wrong road, anti-communism and anti-China is a self-defeating way out, and urges to firmly eradicate the root cause of “chaos”, consolidate the situation of “government”, stimulate the momentum of “prosperity”, and lead to “Return” people’s hearts.
Just two months ago (January 14), Zheng Yanxiong, former director of the National Security Office of the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong, suddenly replaced Luo Huining as the director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government and the National Security Advisor of the National Security Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and was promoted to a ministerial-level official , becoming the first director of the Liaison Office with a national security background.
As soon as Zheng Yanxiong took office, he showed a tough attitude towards dissidents. On the afternoon of January 17, the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police arrested six people at the “Hidden Market” on the ground floor of Yincheng Plaza in Mong Kok. Three of them were involved in the sale of “seditious” books and were charged with “conspiring to make one or more Intentional act” crime, appeared in West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on January 19.
The prosecution said that the store sold a book that talked about the police’s “violent clearance” and “covering the underworld” during the anti-extradition movement in 2019. Some media revealed that before the police took action, they sent officers to the market several times to “release snakes” and bought related books at a price of HK$260. It is reported that this is the largest raid since April last year.
The “Wall Street Journal” once commented on the incident, stating that the “Hidden Bazaar” is a market that sells books, accessories and souvenirs that support democracy. Suppressing and controlling dissent remains a priority for the Hong Kong government.
Zheng Yanxiong actively cracks down on dissidents and is sanctioned by the United States
In order to suppress the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, the CCP implemented the “Hong Kong Version of the National Security Law” in Hong Kong from June 30, 2020, and established the National Security Office in Hong Kong in July of the same year, with Zheng Yanxiong as the director. The authority of this institution in Hong Kong is overriding. Under Zheng, the agency has aggressively cracked down on dissent.
After Zheng Yanxiong took office, he took tough measures to actively implement the CCP’s policy of repression in Hong Kong. In August 2020, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced sanctions on 11 Hong Kong and Mainland officials and former officials, including Zheng Yanxiong. These people are accused of undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy and restricting the freedom of speech and assembly of Hong Kong citizens.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Zheng Yanxiong warned in an interview in 2021 that Hong Kong’s courts must reflect the will of the CCP and national interests, or risk losing the powers granted by Beijing.
“Hua Ri” quoted Carole J. Petersen, a law professor at the University of Hawaii, as saying that Zheng’s appointment shows that the CCP will still regard ensuring Hong Kong’s national security as more important than solving Hong Kong’s slowing economy. .
Zheng Yanxiong’s remarks caused an uproar in the public when he dealt with the “Wukan Incident” with an iron fist
Zheng Yanxiong gained notoriety for his heavy-handed crackdown on protests by villagers in Wukan village in Guangdong province. At the end of 2011, members of the village committee of Wukan Village, Lufeng, Shanwei City, Guangdong Province sold their land privately. and other fixed-term imprisonment, and another villager died while in custody. Zheng Yanxiong, then secretary of the Shanwei Municipal Party Committee, criticized the villagers for disclosing the incident to foreign media, claiming that “foreign media are trustworthy, and sows will climb trees,” and blatantly said, “What good is it to remove me? Appoint another municipal party secretary.” Come on, it may not be much better than Zheng Yanxiong.” After this speech was reported by the Hong Kong media, he became famous in Hong Kong, and Zheng’s remarks were even praised by the CCP’s official media.
After the incident in Wukan Village, Zheng Yanxiong was transferred to the executive deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee in 2013. In 2018, he was promoted to the Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee and became the “big steward” of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, assisting Li Xi, then secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee.
After Zheng Yanxiong came to Hong Kong in 2020 to serve as the director of the newly established National Security Agency, he made a statement saying, “Hong Kong is China’s return.”
During his tenure as director, Zheng Yanxiong published many “golden sentences” about the National Security Law. He once used football as a metaphor for freedom, saying that football can be kicked above the head, and collisions are reasonable, but there must be a bottom line and a referee. Trying to change the political system in the mainland to adapt to Hong Kong through street politics is a kind of stupid putting the cart before the horse, and it will definitely set itself on fire.”
In May last year, Zheng delivered a video speech in Cantonese at the “Hong Kong National Security Law Legal Forum – Rejuvenating the Country” hosted by the Department of Justice, the legal administration department under the Hong Kong government, distorting the definition of “one country, two systems”, saying “Since Hong Kong has a capitalist system, there is nothing wrong with us following the legal system of a capitalist country, but we must be soberly aware that the ultimate purpose of adopting the common law system is to safeguard the interests of China and Hong Kong. We must not disregard the fact that Hong Kong has returned to China, continue the values of the Hong Kong-British era, or even listen to the orders of the British and American countries.”
Commentary: The Liaison Office of the Central Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is like a “party committee”, Hong Kong will continue to be under high pressure
Regarding Zheng Yanxiong’s appointment as the director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government, Shi Shan, a senior political commentator, pointed out in the online program “Shishan’s Viewpoint” that since Beijing is currently in a state of “weightlessness” on the three major issues of epidemic prevention, economy, and diplomacy, Zheng Yanxiong may only serve as a A transitional figure will serve as the director of the Liaison Office. He estimates that after Zheng takes office, he will strengthen ties with the national security authorities.
Zhong Jianhua, a scholar of social policy and public administration, pointed out in the “Watching China” program that Zheng Yanxiong is not a kind person. He once threatened that “the only way to deal with the protest movement is by law.” Zhong Jianhua pointed out that he would bring his domineering style in the Wukan incident to Hong Kong.
Zhong Jianhua also described that the current authorities on Hong Kong affairs “don’t care what the Basic Law has written, what they have promised before, and don’t care about international views.” Zhong Jianhua believes that according to Zheng Yanxiong’s performance in Wukan Village, it fully demonstrates that this person have the ability to do this.
In addition, current affairs commentator Lian Yizheng pointed out on the Internet program “Zhenyan Zhenyu” that the CCP appointed Zheng Yanxiong because of his experience in repression. “To engage in shock” (to cause trouble) is to cut it down with a knife”, Lian Yizheng estimates that the situation in Hong Kong will continue to be high-pressure, so “it doesn’t matter whoever does it.”
Hong Kong current affairs commentator and former assistant professor of the Department of Journalism of Baptist University, Du Yaoming, analyzed in an interview with Radio Free Asia that the role of the Liaison Office is similar to the “party committee” in Hong Kong. The leaders of the Liaison Office of the Central Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the National Security Council have reached a consensus to establish the future policy line of Hong Kong “putting national security affairs in command” and continuing “the structure of the party leading everything remains unchanged.”
Du Yaoming said, “These two (the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government and the National Security Commission) are ‘two brands, one team’, both of which are establishing that the party committee has the highest power in Hong Kong. , put national security first on the line.”, “Zheng Yanxiong’s background has always been a typical hawk, that is, a person who is relentless in suppressing the masses.”