Beijing taps personnel veteran Xu Qifang for Hong Kong and Macau post

Beijing has appointed Xu Qifang, a former Communist Party personnel official, to the second-most senior position in its top body managing Hong Kong and Macau affairs.

Xu, 60, the former deputy chief of the party’s Organisation Department has become the executive deputy director of the Central Committee’s Hong Kong and Macau Work Office, according to several sources.

The sources said Xu would be promoted from deputy ministerial to full ministerial rank. As the office’s executive director, Xu reports to director Xia Baolong, who oversees the office’s daily operations.

“[Xu] has reported to work at the Hong Kong and Macau Work Office. Senior officials in the office have met with him,” said one source who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

He has been a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, China’s top political advisory body, since 2023.

Xu fills the vacancy left by Zhou Ji, who was parachuted south to become the director of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong after former liaison office chief Zheng Yanxiong was abruptly removed at the end of May after two years in the position.

At the end of June, Beijing announced Zheng’s appointment as deputy director of the National People’s Congress’ Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee, confirming an earlier report by the Post.