China named a former top official from its secret intelligence agency the new head of Beijing’s national security office in Hong Kong, as the finance hub continues to crack down on dissent.
Dong Jingwei, 59, was appointed as director of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, according to a statement on Tuesday from the government in Beijing.
Dong was previously deputy minister of state security in Beijing, according to various government statements. He succeeds Zheng Yanxiong, who shifted to the city’s Liaison Office in January.
A representative for the Hong Kong government didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Dong’s appointment, including his past experiences at the Ministry of State Security.
The Office for Safeguarding National Security was established in 2020, just months after China imposed a national security law on the former British colony in the wake of monthslong anti-government protests. Last year, the Chinese agency bought a HK$508 million ($65 million) mansion in an upscale Hong Kong neighborhood.
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 this month, the city’s Chief Executive John Lee pledged a lifetime of police pursuit for eight democracy activists who fled abroad to evade national security charges. Authorities have put a HK$1 million bounty on each of them.
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’s unclear when Dong was promoted to deputy minister of state security, he was cited in that position as early as May 2019.
Lee, the chief executive, welcomed 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.
--With assistance from Muneeza Naqvi.
(Adds an attempt to reach out to the Hong Kong government in paragraph 4.)
