Beijing has hired a veteran to ease the unrest that has led to the controversial new national security agency in Hong Kong, as it moves to implement Draconian restrictions on political freedom.
The closed-door to the new security law this week sent shock waves through the international community, leaving Beijing pledging to give Hong Kong autonomy by 2047. It is the largest center of Chinese vocalizations. Most parts of the world are victims of coronavirus infections.
State news agency Xinhua announced on Friday that it is headed by the central government's new Hong Kong security agency, led by Zheng Yanxiang, a 56-year-old Communist Party official in southern Guangdong province bordering Hong Kong.
Zheng is little in the face of attracting pro-democracy protesters of Hong Kong. Grass Roots has risen through the ranks of the party on his strength to suppress opposition and has spent years as an official campaigner.
Beijing's actions in Hong Kong have condemned Western countries, and the US has announced that it will accept Chinese officials responsible for these policies. Many governments, including the United States, Britain, Australia and Taiwan, have announced plans to accept Hong Kong as refugees.
Addressing the US House of Representatives this week, Hong Kong-based Democratic activist Nathan Law announced Thursday that he had fled the city.
Zheng's appointment reflects Beijing's resolve to implement it swiftly, despite the setbacks just days after the law was passed.
Zheng specifically examined the Guangdong village in Wukan during his 2011 uprising. Months after the encroachment of the land, villagers chased away local authorities and police from Wukan, leading to a village invasion.
As part of the deal to end the stalemate, Waukans were allowed an extraordinary launch in democracy, allowing residents to elect a new committee of village representatives.
Zheng's disgust with foreign media made headlines during the crisis when a video that showed him at a conference said: "Foreign media can be trusted when pigs climb trees."
His appointment signaled that Hong Kong's security concerns could be dealt with in recent years from Guangdong, Sebastian Wedge, a Paris professor of modern history at the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences, said on Twitter. Hong Kong's mini-constitution states that the city must handle its own affairs, along with defense and foreign relations.
Hong Kong and Guangdong Province share cultural histories, including Cantonese and historical trade relations, and their residents have long had tasty relationships with each other as they leave politics.
As anti-Beijing protests intensified in Hong Kong last year, Guangdong officials called for easing tensions by promising to increase investment in Hong Kong and provide employment to city youth.
Guangdong was also instrumental in Beijing's intimidation tactics against Hong Kong protesters last year. Shortly after the week, Hong Kong police failed to end the violent demonstrations, with mainland police and soldiers launching anti-riot demonstrations across the border in the Guangdong metropolis of Shenzhen.
Simon Cheng, a British consulate employee in Hong Kong, claimed that he was kidnapped and tortured for two weeks in Shenzhen last fall, and officials questioned whether the British government had cooperated in blocking protests in Hong Kong. He announced on Twitter this week that he was granted asylum in Britain.
In addition to Zheng, two depots for the new security company in Hong Kong were also announced on Friday. One, Li Jiangzhou, is already China's top public security ministry in Hong Kong. Very little information is available about the second deputy, Sun Kinjoy, although she is official in Beijing's major intelligence agency, the state security ministry, the government's tabloid Global Times reported Friday.
In the meantime, officials have suggested that they will largely eliminate new restrictions on speech.
On Thursday night, the Hong Kong government held a protest slogan - "Revolution will liberate Hong Kong of our time" - which is illegal because it promotes Hong Kong independence and therefore constitutes repression under a life sentence. The term is the mantra of the pro-democracy movement engraved on flags, walls, and T-shirts.
On Friday, a 24-year-old motorcycle driver who went to riot police during a protest carrying a black "Liberate Hong Kong" flag was charged under the new law. Video of the incident showed the rider falling down and capturing him before he was surrounded. He was charged under the law with two counts of solitary and terrorism.
Earlier this week, Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam told the United Nations Human Rights Council that the law would not kill libertarianism and would not affect a small minority of people.
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