Beijing Exerts More Control over HK, Macau

HKMAO will report directly to the CCP's Central Committee

Changes are afoot at the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, as it will directly report to the party's Central Committee instead of the State Council, allowing senior leadership more direct control over both special administrative regions.

Xia Baolong, director of the current HKMAO will stay on as head of the new body during the transition period as the office restructures.

Xia will continue to helm the HKMAO

According to the latest "Party and State Institutional Reform Plan" published on Thursday, the new body "would commit to the duties of investigating, researching, coordinating and supervising the implementation of the 'one country, two systems' principle, the comprehensive jurisdiction of the central government, and governance of Hong Kong and Macau in accordance with the law".

In addition the revamped office would "safeguard national security, guarantee people's livelihoods and well-being, as well as support Hong Kong and Macau to integrate into the national development plan".

The new body will be called the "Hong Kong and Macau Work Office of the Communist Party Central Committee", though it will still retain its original HKMAO name, perhaps for abbreviation.

Xi will have more control over HK, Macau

In separate statements, both the HKMAO and Beijing's liaison office in the city said the change reflects the importance Chinese leader Xi Jinping placed on implementing one country, two systems in Hong Kong and Macau, as well as the strong determination and will of the party's Central Committee to uphold and improve the principle.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu hailed the restructuring, saying the central government worked for the good of Hong Kong and its people.

He pledged the local administration would effectively communicate with the restructured office so that the central government could better understand Hong Kong.

"[The Hong Kong government] will make good use of the distinctive advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, and more actively align with the national strategy to better integrate into the overall development of the country," he said.

Lee pledges more communication with HKMAO

Sources say the move underscores how Hong Kong affairs continue to be a key focus for the central government, while political commentators say the direct link with Beijing could secure the city from national security threats amid complicated geopolitical tensions.

This latest restructuring means that the ancient saying, "Heaven is high and the emperor is far away" no longer applies to Hong Kong. Xi will have more ears on the ground to avoid the embarrassing mistake of bad intelligence in the run-up to the 2019 district council elections where the pro-democracy camp swept 17 out of 18 districts. 

But with the national security law in place, many pro-democracy lawmakers, activists and media figures behind bars or in exile, civil society groups disbanded and media outlets shut down, surely Xi can be confident in exerting control over Hong Kong.

Apparently it's not enough with the revamp of the HKMAO office coming soon...