Beijing’s former liaison office chief in Hong Kong, Zheng Yanxiong, has returned to the nation’s capital is expected to take up a senior role in the country’s top legislative body, the Post has learned. Two sources familiar with the matter said Zheng, who was abruptly removed as director of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong on May 31, will be appointed Executive Deputy Director of the National People’s Congress Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee. This means he will continue to hold his rank as a full minister. One source said Zheng had arrived in Beijing as of yesterday and reported to work with the NPC. The source, who declined to be named, said Zheng’s appointment would be formally endorsed at the NPC Standing Committee’s meeting in the second half of this month. A second source, who also asked to remain anonymous to discuss the matter freely, said Zheng sent a small poem to many pro-Beijing politicians he had worked with in Hong Kong before his departure. “His poem reads, ‘Love for Hong Kong is enduring, but my duties are limited by terms; if any consolation, good signs of prosperity and governance’,” the source said. Calling the pro-Beijing politicians “brothers-in-arms, best friends and closest friends”, Zheng said “see you later in Beijing” in his parting message, according to the second source. Zheng, 61, was succeeded by Zhou Ji, the executive deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO). No explanation by Beijing or Chinese state media was given for the change, which was announced last Friday. Zheng was appointed as head of the Hong Kong liaison office – Beijing’s main representative office in the city – in January 2023, succeeding Luo Huining, who was 68 at the time. Zhou, who was appointed as executive deputy director of the HKMAO in 2023, also took over Zheng’s role on the Committee for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong. According to an updated organisation chart on the HKMAO website, Zhou’s title has been changed from “executive director in charge of daily operations” to “deputy director”, but he is still ranked second to HKMAO chief Xia Baolong. Zheng was removed from the latest organisation chart. The second source said the updated chart showed Beijing wanted Zhou to “concentrate his work in Hong Kong, as he has many immediate and long term tasks”. “His plate is very full. In the shorter run, he will have to help the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s government to sort out the Hutchison port deal, and ensure a successful Legco election in December,” the second source said. “In the longer run, he needs to assist the HKSAR government to show progress on economic development initiatives like the Northern Metropolis, etc” CK Hutchison Holdings’ sale of its ports at the Panama Canal has drawn strong criticism from pro-Beijing newspapers in Hong Kong, berating it as “betraying” China’s interests and bowing to US political pressure. The conglomerate, controlled by tycoon Li Ka-shing, agreed in March to sell most its global ports business for US$23 billion, including assets at both ends of the strategically significant canal, to a consortium led by the United States’ BlackRock. It stands to pocket US$19 billion in cash. One consortium member, Terminal Investment Limited, is majority-owned by Italian billionaire Gianluigi Aponte’s family-run MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company. In Hong Kong, Zhou made his first charm offensive on the weekend, two days after he took up his new role, saying his appointment came with heavy responsibilities but reflected the trust Chinese President Xi Jinping placed in him. He visited a community centre of the Kowloon Women’s Organisations Federation in Fu Cheong Estate in Sham Shui Po and Cheung Hang Community Hall in Tsing Yi on Sunday. He vowed to fully support the Hong Kong government in leveraging the city’s unique advantages, including enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being connected to the world, to enhance its status as an international financial, shipping and trading centre. Zhou also said he would support local authorities in speeding up the progress of driving innovation and building a global hub for top talent. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday described Zhou Ji as “humble and pragmatic”, noting that he cared about Hong Kong and attached importance to people’s livelihoods and district governance. Lee also highlighted that Zhou held the interests of the city close to his heart and was a staunch supporter of the correct and faithful implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle.