Zheng Yanxiong Departs Hong Kong, Is There Trouble in Zhongnanhai?

On August 7, 2020, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against 11 officials from China and Hong Kong, including (from left to right) Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung, Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu Chak-yee, and Zheng Yanxiong, Director of the Central Government's Liaison Office in Hong Kong. (Dajiyuan Graphic)

[People News] Amidst rumours of internal changes within Zhongnanhai, a significant number of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials have been dismissed, removed, arrested, reassigned, or promoted, which is quite unusual. On May 30, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the CCP announced the dismissal of Zheng Yanxiong from his roles as Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Deputy Director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, and National Security Affairs Advisor to the Hong Kong National Security Committee, with Zhou Zhi appointed as his successor. This dismissal is also noteworthy.

Zheng Yanxiong took over from Luo Huining in mid-January 2023 as the new Director of the Liaison Office in Hong Kong and Advisor to the Hong Kong National Security Committee, having previously served as the Director of the National Security Office in Hong Kong. At that time, I noted in an article that this indicated the Beijing authorities would implement stricter measures to govern Hong Kong, which, already suffering under the CCP's oppression, would continue to endure more hardships under the CCP's rule.

This statement is based on an analysis of Zheng Yanxiong's background and his iron-fisted approach. Born in Guangdong and now in his sixties, Zheng Yanxiong has held various positions in the province, including Secretary-General of the South China Branch of the People's Daily, Deputy Director of the Policy Research Office of the Guangdong Provincial Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Shantou Municipal Committee, Secretary of the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission, and Secretary of the Municipal Committee. In 2011, villagers in Wukan, Guangdong, confronted the local government over land disputes, resulting in clashes between police and civilians that persisted for several years. Zheng Yanxiong, who was then the Secretary of the Shantou Municipal Committee, ordered the use of harsh measures to suppress the local population.

The widely criticised Wukan incident only temporarily stalled Zheng Yanxiong's career progression. In 2013, he became Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Department of the Guangdong Provincial Committee, but his political acumen led him to be appointed Executive Deputy Secretary-General of the Guangdong Provincial Committee and Director of the Provincial Policy Research Office in May 2018. By October of the same year, he was named Secretary-General of the Guangdong Provincial Committee, and in January 2019, he joined the Standing Committee of the Provincial Committee.

Zheng Yanxiong previously served as a secretary to Li Xi, who is currently a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party and Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Li Xi was the top leader in Guangdong from 2017 to 2022. During his time in Gansu, Li Xi worked as a secretary to Li Ziqi, who was the Secretary of the Gansu Provincial Committee in 1986 and an old subordinate of Xi Zhongxun, as well as a fellow townsman from Shaanxi. Reports suggest that Li Xi frequently accompanied Li Ziqi to Beijing and Shenzhen to visit Xi Zhongxun, thereby becoming acquainted with Xi Jinping. While in Guangdong, Li Xi referred to Xi Jinping as the 

Zheng Yanxiong was sent to Hong Kong during the 2019 "Anti-Extradition" movement to oversee stability operations, and in 2020, he was appointed as the head of the newly established National Security Office by the Chinese Communist Party. It is likely that he was recommended by Li Xi, and Zheng's willingness to implement strict policies aligns with the selection criteria for governing Hong Kong with an iron fist set by Xi Jinping's central leadership.

As anticipated, during his tenure in Hong Kong, Zheng Yanxiong adopted a hardline approach, actively promoting the enforcement of the Hong Kong National Security Law and tightening control over the media, education sector, and civil society. He publicly asserted that "Hong Kong's return signifies it is part of China," insisting that it should not be viewed as merely a nominal return. He clarified that his role is to ensure that Hong Kong officials and residents act according to directives from Zhongnanhai, dismissing any notions of "freedom and democracy." He perpetuated the Communist Party's governing mentality in Hong Kong, suppressing public opinion and protests, and undermining overseas media, among other actions.

As a result of Zheng's actions in Hong Kong, he was added to the U.S. sanctions list in August 2020. At that time, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned 11 officials for "undermining Hong Kong's autonomy and the freedoms of expression and assembly of Hong Kong people," including 4 officials from the Communist Party related to Hong Kong and 7 from the Hong Kong government. The 4 Communist Party officials were Luo Huining, director of the Liaison Office, Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, and Zheng Yanxiong.

After being sanctioned by the United States, Zheng Yanxiong was promoted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over two years later to serve as Director of the Central Government’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong. Through this appointment, Beijing signalled its disdain for U.S. sanctions. Under the governance of Chief Executive John Lee, a staunch loyalist to Beijing, and his administration, combined with Zheng Yanxiong’s oversight on behalf of the central government, Hong Kong's once-vibrant freedoms and democracy have been largely eroded. The CCP’s increasingly oppressive actions in Hong Kong have not only alienated the local population and attracted further sanctions but have also led to a severe economic downturn and a sharp drop in investment.

However, following rumours during the CCP’s Third Plenum last July that Xi Jinping had suffered a health crisis, and with continuing reports of his diminishing control over the military, signs of unusual developments began to surface in Hong Kong as well. According to reports, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee personally chaired a study session at the Chief Executive's Office, where top officials of the Special Administrative Region earnestly studied and discussed the spirit of the CCP’s Third Plenum. Strangely, Zheng Yanxiong, Director of the Liaison Office, did not attend.

This absence was unusual. In previous similar meetings, the presence of the Liaison Office Director was a given, since one of the office’s primary roles is to reinforce the central government’s leadership and management over Hong Kong, and to communicate the CCP’s directives—especially on major issues and strategic directions—to the SAR government. Typically, the Liaison Office Director would lead the session with a presentation of CCP dogma, after which SAR officials would express their loyalty and support. Luo Huining operated this way, and Zheng Yanxiong followed the same pattern during his two years in office.

According to the CCP’s bureaucratic hierarchy, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong is equivalent to a ministerial-level official. The Liaison Office is a ministerial-level agency, and its director holds the same rank—yet in practice, SAR officials usually defer to the Liaison Office Director.

Still, as with other anomalies observed in Beijing’s government bodies, media, the Ministry of Public Security, and the military following the Third Plenum, Zheng Yanxiong’s unexplained absence from the study session stands out. Notably, on July 22 of last year, just prior to that, Zheng had convened a leadership meeting within the Liaison Office to study and promote Xi Jinping’s speeches.

In retrospect, could this anomaly have been related to Xi’s rumored serious illness at the time, and to the possibility that elder CCP leaders had seized partial control of the situation—issuing new directives to tone down Liaison Office interference in Hong Kong, in an attempt to promote further reforms and improve Hong Kong’s international image? Zheng Yanxiong’s unusual behaviour back then may, in hindsight, have foreshadowed his recent dismissal.

Zheng Yanxiong’s removal reflects a shift in power dynamics within Zhongnanhai and may signal that the new CCP leadership intends to correct some of the negative consequences of Xi’s hardline policies in Hong Kong. Recently, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Hong Kong to attend the signing ceremony of the Convention on the International Organization for Mediation. During his visit, he met with John Lee. In his remarks at the signing ceremony, Wang Yi stated that “Hong Kong’s return [to China] is itself a successful example of peacefully resolving international disputes,” possibly hinting at a new direction for Beijing’s governance of Hong Kong.

Zheng’s replacement, Zhou Ji, previously served as a Standing Committee member of both the Hubei and Henan Provincial Party Committees, as well as Vice Governor and Deputy Party Secretary of Henan. In July 2023, he was promoted to Executive Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office under the State Council. Recent reports cite veteran pro-Beijing figures in Hong Kong describing Zhou Ji as having a milder image, which may help attract international business and professionals back to the city.

However, given the CCP’s chameleon-like behaviour and near-total loss of credibility, how many people will still trust its newly presented face? Furthermore, Zheng Yanxiong’s removal may also indirectly confirm that Li Xi, who has recently “disappeared”—along with Xi Jinping- has seen his power diminished and is no longer able to control personnel appointments.