China names ex-intelligence official as new Hong Kong security chief
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Mr Dong Jingwei, 59, was previously deputy minister of state security in Beijing.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
HONG KONG - China named a former top official from its secret intelligence agency the new head of Beijing’s national security office in Hong Kong.
Mr Dong Jingwei, 59, was appointed as director of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the city, according to a statement on Tuesday from the government in Beijing.
Mr Dong was previously deputy minister of state security in Beijing, according to various government statements. He succeeds Mr Zheng Yanxiong, who shifted to the city’s Liaison Office in January.
The Office for Safeguarding National Security was established in 2020, just months after China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in the wake of months-long anti-government protests.
In 2022, the Chinese agency bought a HK$508 million (S$86.18 million) mansion in an upscale Hong Kong neighbourhood.
Mr Zheng, a founding member of the office, was sanctioned by the US for his role in the crackdown following the imposition of the security law.
Some 260 people have been arrested by national security police, while several dozen pro-democracy activists, former opposition politicians and journalists face charges under the law that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Earlier in July, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee pledged a lifetime of police pursuit for eight democracy activists
Mr Dong was born in 1963 and was head of the security service in his home region, Hebei province, according to his resume on the China Law Society’s website.
He served as director of the political department in the Ministry of State Security from 2017 to 2018, local press including the South China Morning Post reported.
While it is unclear when Mr Dong was promoted to deputy minister of state security, he was cited in that position as early as May 2019.
Mr Lee welcomed Mr Dong’s appointment in a statement shortly after the announcement, saying Hong Kong “will continue to work and communicate closely” with the Office for Safeguarding National Security as it seeks to fully implement the 2020 law. BLOOMBERG
