By William Zheng
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鈥檚 Organisation Department has become the executive deputy director of the Central Committee鈥檚 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鈥檚 executive director, Xu reports to director Xia Baolong, who oversees the office鈥檚 daily operations.
鈥淸Xu] has reported to work at the Hong Kong and Macau Work Office. Senior officials in the office have met with him,鈥 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鈥檚 Political Consultative Conference, China鈥檚 top political advisory body, since 2023.
Xu fills the vacancy left by Zhou Ji, who was parachuted south to become the director of Beijing鈥檚 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鈥檚 appointment as deputy director of the National People鈥檚 Congress鈥 Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee, confirming an earlier report by the Post.
Like many of the officials transferred to the Hong Kong and Macau affairs system, Xu has no known experience working in areas related to the two cities.
Since October 2022, when the party held a national congress, Xu has been deputy chief of the Organisation Department and the director of the State Administration of Civil Service.
Xu appeared at a press conference during the congress on October 17 to introduce the party鈥檚 new personnel policy direction.
Before that, he was in the southern province of Hainan province, where he rose to be the island鈥檚 deputy party secretary and provincial security chief.
Born in Shaanxi province鈥檚 Ankang region, Xu spent most of his political career in his home province, becoming the deputy director of Ankang鈥檚 commerce bureau in 1997.
He was sent to Hanyin and Shiquan counties to take up leading roles from 1997 to 2005 and returned to his hometown where he served as mayor from 2013 to 2017.
He was promoted to party chief of the city of Baoji, a position he held from 2017 to 2021 before his move to Hainan.