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68-869: The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the representative office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China in Hong Kong . It is located in Sai Wan , Hong Kong Island , Hong Kong. The Liaison Office replaced the Xinhua News Agency 's Hong Kong office, the unofficial representative of the government of China in Hong Kong until

136-458: A building owned by the Liaison Office ) were required to undergo virus testing. Additionally, people at his office (West Wing of Shun Tak , which he traveled to in a company vehicle) were required to undergo virus testing, and 11 coworkers were required to undergo quarantine. In October 2021, the Liaison Office met senior Hong Kong Catholic clergymen and briefed them on Xi Jinping 's views on

204-482: A "second government" in Hong Kong, reviewing and approving all potential candidates in the elections. Cao Erbao, director of the Liaison Office's Research Department who coined the "second government" concept, wrote that Hong Kong went from being ruled by one entity to being ruled by two: the Hong Kong government and "a team of Central and Mainland authorities carrying out Hong Kong work." It sparked great controversy in some sectors of Hong Kong society, already worried about

272-727: A "shadow government" meddling in elections in all levels, including the Chief Executive elections, coordinating with pro-Beijing parties in Legislative Council and District Council elections, and raising funds for the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB). The Liaison Office led by Gao Siren backed the Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa government to push forward the controversial legislation of

340-555: A benefit to its employees. Although Newman Investment is a private company and is not registered as an incorporated public office, which would qualify it from not paying stamp duties under section 41(1) of the Stamp Duty Ordinance, Hong Kong Chief Executives have, under section 52(1) of the SDO, allowed Newman Investment to not pay stamp duties. This has allowed Newman Investment to escape stamp duties of several hundred million HKD within

408-595: A hard-line policy toward the democrats. In the 2004 Legislative Council election , the Liaison Office mobilised the members of the pro-Beijing interest groups and housing associations, including the Hokkien community, to support and vote for the DAB and the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) candidates. Beijing also strengthened the Liaison Office to influence day-to-day affairs in Hong Kong and effectively operated as

476-587: A month, while the plenary session, consisting of all members of the State Council, meets every six months. The State Council directly oversees provincial-level People's Governments, and in practice maintains membership with top levels of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The State Council is legally required to implement the policies of the CCP. Aside from a few, members of the State Council are also members of

544-491: A press release, showing the extent of property purchases by the Liaison Office and Newman Investment. In the press release, it was shown that as of the end of February 2019, 722 residential units had been purchased, with 156 purchased by the Liaison Office, and the remaining 566 purchased through Newman Investment. In Newman Investment's February 2020 Annual Return (NAR1), it listed the Company Secretary as Xiao Xiaosan, and

612-400: A significant number of residential apartments in Hong Kong. In an unusual setup, Newman Investment Co Ltd, a "Subsidiary company of a CPG’s organ in Hong Kong," has been identified as a subsidiary of the Liaison Office. Purchases of property have been done both through the Liaison Office and secretly through Newman Investment. Also unusual is the fact that the Liaison Office has bought housing as

680-592: A subsidiary company called Guangdong New Culture Development. In 2015, Next Magazine revealed that the Office also took control of Sino United Publishing , which controls over 80% of the book publishing market share. It is Hong Kong's largest Chinese publishing group, and has 51 retail bookstore outlets in the territory though branches of Commercial Press, Joint Publishing , Chung Hwa Book Company, and Cosmos Books. In addition, Sino United Publishing owns nearly 30 publishing houses. In January 2021, Apple Daily reported that

748-549: Is appointed by the NPC upon the nomination by the president , though in practice the premier is chosen within the CCP leadership, including the Politburo Standing Committee . The vice premiers (one executive and generally three others), state councillors, and a secretary-general (who normally also serves as a state councillor) all assist the premier. Each vice premier oversees certain areas of administration in support of

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816-473: The CCP Central Committee 's leadership over the State Council. The amended law also stipulates the State Council must follow the CCP's ideology and policies. The State Council is composed of the premier , several vice premiers , several state councillors , ministers of ministries, directors of committees, the auditor general, and the secretary-general . The premier leads the State Council and

884-654: The Election Committee constituency , there were total of twelve incumbents chose not to run for re-election. Ip Kwok-him lost his seat in the Central and Western District Council therefore was not qualified for running in the District Council functional constituency . Before election: Change in composition: Note: For the joint list of pro-democrats in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon East and New Territories East,

952-670: The Ministry for National Defense but does not control the People's Liberation Army, which is instead controlled by the Central Military Commission (CMC). The State Council previously had joint command over the People's Armed Police (PAP) together with the CMC, principally through the Ministry of Public Security , though 2018 reforms placed the PAP solely under CMC command. The plenary session of

1020-570: The handover of Hong Kong , in 1997. Under the system " one institution with two names ," it also holds the alternative name of the Hong Kong Work Committee of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party . The Liaison Office has officially been playing a communication bridge between Beijing and Hong Kong. According to the Liaison Office's website, the office's official functions are the following: The Liaison Office promotes

1088-564: The national security bill as stipulated in the Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 . It was criticised for its failure in accurately reporting to Beijing the massive discontent toward the Tung regime and failure in predicting the unprecedented 2003 July 1 massive demonstration against the national security bill. It was said that the Liaison Office was too close to the pro-Beijing Hong Kong elites and naturally provided over-positive reports on

1156-753: The "Sinicization" of religion, or the adoption of "Chinese characteristics" within established religions. In April 2022, the Liaison Office met with Election Committee members and told them that the only candidate approved by Beijing for the 2022 Hong Kong Chief Executive election would be John Lee . The Liaison Office also supervises the mainland's enterprises, including owning three pro-Beijing newspapers in Hong Kong- Ta Kung Pao in Wan Chai, Wen Wei Po in Aberdeen, and Commercial Daily in Kowloon, through

1224-547: The 480 employees at the headquarters (The Westpoint) were reshuffled and that many of them had no previous connections to Hong Kong. In February 2021, the Liaison Office issued orders to members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference , where points would be given to members who write pro-government op-eds and social media posts. In March 2021, after the NPCSC passed legislation to allow only "patriots" to serve in

1292-463: The 800-member Election Committee would be abolished, while the directly elected geographical constituency seats would increase from 24 to 30, same number of the indirectly elected functional constituencies . As a result, Hong Kong Island and Kowloon East was added one extra seat each, from five to six and four to five respectively, and the New Territories West and New Territories East

1360-663: The Article 45 and 68 of the Basic Law respectively. In 2004, the Article 23 Concern Group transformed into the Article 45 Concern Group calling for the early implementation of the universal suffrage. Facing the pro-democracy pressure for full democratisation, in April 2004, the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) ruled out the 2007/08 universal suffrage. With the cancellation of

1428-518: The Beijing and the Hong Kong government. The Annex I and Annex II of the Basic Law state that the method for selecting the Chief Executive and for forming the Legislative Council could be amended after 2007. The pro-democracy camp argued that the third term of Chief Executive and fourth term of Legislative Council should be elected on the basis of universal suffrage in 2007 and 2008 as stipulated in

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1496-465: The CCP's Central Committee . The State Council is described by the Chinese constitution as the executive organ of the National People's Congress (NPC), as well as the "highest state administrative organ". Constitutionally, the main functions of the State Council are to formulate administrative measures, issue decisions and orders, and monitor their implementation; draft legislative bills for submission to

1564-591: The Central Government may interfere in the affairs which the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region administers on its own in accordance with this Law" as stipulated in the Article 22 of the Basic Law. The Liaison Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Peoples Liberation Army were "set up in the HKSAR by the central government in accordance with Article 22(2) of the Basic Law" according to the Hong Kong government's Information Services Department. However, in April 2020,

1632-542: The Central People's Government said that the Liaison Office was not classified under Article 22, and claimed their ability to “exercise supervision and express solemn attitudes on affairs regarding Hong Kong”. The Hong Kong Liaison Office functions as the external name of the Hong Kong Work Committee of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party ( Chinese : 中共中央香港工作委員會 ). There are 7 deputy directors and one secretary-general, Wang Songmiao, underneath

1700-452: The Central People's Government's interests in Hong Kong politics , and is responsible for liaising between Hong Kong and mainland officials. It coordinates pro-Beijing candidates, mobilising supporters to vote for pro-Beijing political parties and clandestinely orchestrating electoral campaigns. It also controls pro-Beijing media companies in Hong Kong. The office was established in May 1947 under

1768-521: The Director of the Office of the Chief Executive , to slow a conflict of interest investigation in the project that threatened to cast Leung in a bad light. This allegation sparked a controversy in which the pan-democracy camp and business community condemned the Liaison Office of meddling into Hong Kong domestic affairs. The pan-democrat Election Committee members held a slogan of "No to Sai Wan ruling Hong Kong" in

1836-429: The HKSAR to Beijing. As a result, the central government removed and replaced a number of deputy directors of the Liaison Office. A spy scandal was also revealed which involved the leaking out of confidential information of the Liaison Office to British agents. After the pro-democracy tide in 2003, the Liaison Office established two new departments, one for police affairs and another for community organisations. It adopted

1904-437: The Liaison Office coordinated and mobilised support among pro-Beijing elites for Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa to run for another term of office. Jiang Enzhu , director of the Liaison Office, and Gao Siren openly supported Tung. A Hong Kong representative of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) expressed that he felt pressured to join the campaign, otherwise his non-cooperation would be reported to

1972-511: The Liaison Office was planning on creating and leading a state-owned cultural enterprise that would span publishing, news, film, TV, arts, and culture in Hong Kong. It is expected to be started in the beginning half of 2021, and will be managed by secretary general of the Liaison Office, Wen Hongwu. The Liaison Office is headquartered in Sai Ying Pun , and holds numerous other properties around Hong Kong. The Liaison Office has purchased offices and

2040-463: The Liaison Office. In early 2012, the Liaison Office, located in Sai Wan district, aggressively lobbied the Election Committee members for Leung Chun-ying to be elected in the Chief Executive election . The Liaison Office was accused of lobbying the 60 members of the Agriculture and Fisheries Subsector to nominate Leung in order to enter the race. It was reported that the Liaison Office pressured

2108-563: The Liaison Office. The Liaison Office was criticised for meddling in the election of the Hong Kong deputies to the 10th National People's Congress (NPC). It was accused of issuing a recommendation list to the electors before the election. James Tien of the Liberal Party criticised the Liaison Office for circulating the recommendation lists, the Democratic Party 's Martin Lee viewed it as

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2176-420: The Liaison Office. The Liaison Office was also accused of orchestrating the 2016 Legislative Council election . The term "Sai Wan Party" also became popular during the election, when several pro-Beijing candidates, including Priscilla Leung, Paul Tse, Regina Ip , Junius Ho , and Eunice Yung were perceived to be backed by the Liaison Office, all of whom were elected with Liaison Office's support. Starting from

2244-517: The NPC or its Standing Committee; and prepare the economic plan and the state budget for deliberation and approval by the NPC. The State Council has flexibility in decision-making, especially with regard to economic matters, but the Politburo has ultimate authority. In 2024, during the second session of the 14th National People's Congress , the Organic Law of the State Council was amended to mandate

2312-472: The State Council and exercises overall leadership of its work. The secretary-general of the State Council, under the leadership of the premier, is responsible for handling the daily work of the State Council and heads the General Office of the State Council. The executive meeting of the State Council, consisting of the premier, vice premiers, state councillors and the secretary-general, meets two to three times

2380-678: The State Council is hosted by the Premier, joined by Vice Premiers, State Councillors, Ministers in charge of Ministries and Commissions, the Governor of the People's Bank, the Auditor-General, and the Secretary-General. It usually runs bi-annually and when necessary, non-members can be invited to participate. 2004 Hong Kong legislative election Pro-Beijing camp Pro-Beijing camp The 2004 Hong Kong Legislative Council election

2448-434: The State Council meets every six months, composed of all members of the State Council. Between meetings it is guided by an Executive Meeting of the State Council  [ zh ] which is held two to three times a month, and can be called at the discretion of the premier. The Executive Meeting is composed of the premier, vice premiers, state councilors, and the secretary-general. (first-ranked) The Plenary Meeting of

2516-479: The Tung administration pushed forward the controversial Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 legislation which outlawed "treason" and "subversive activities" and raised concerns on its potential threats against Hong Kong people's civil liberties. A group of barristers formed the Basic Law Article 23 Concern Group and rallied against the national security legislation . Over 500,000 people to protested on 1 July 2003,

2584-478: The United States) or countries from Europe. In November 2020, following the expulsion of 4 pro-democracy lawmakers from the Legislative Council, the Liaison Office said, "The political rule that Hong Kong must be governed by patriots shall be firmly guarded." At the end of November 2020, the Liaison Office reportedly onboarded Zheng Lin as its propaganda department's deputy minister. The Liaison Office condemned

2652-438: The ballot boxes, some election workers forcefully stuffed ballots into the box using objects such as barbecue forks and metal rulers. Some stations also used random cardboard boxes without official seals. Some ballot boxes were opened before the close of polling. The polling station operating manual had mistakes in it, so some candidate representatives were kicked out after the closing of the poll and were prevented from witnessing

2720-415: The campaign lost its original momentum. This was not helped by various sex and financial scandals of a few pro-democracy candidates. There were some allegations by the pro-democracy camp of Mainland Chinese influence behind this. Some of the developments include: There were a few reports of irregularities. Some polling stations ran out of ballot boxes, causing long delays in voting. To fit more ballots into

2788-422: The constituent departments are proposed by the premier and decided by the NPC or its Standing Committee. Bureaus and administrations rank below ministries. In addition to the ministries, there are 38 centrally administered government organizations that report directly to the state council. The heads of these organizations attend full meetings of the state committee on an irregular basis. The State Council controls

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2856-548: The counting, as required by law. Some candidates have tried to challenge the election results, but have remained unsuccessful thus far. A report on the election process was published shortly after the election. Another report was commissioned by the government to suggest future improvements. Eight incumbents lost re-election Voting system: Party-list proportional representation with largest remainder method and Hare quota . Voting systems: Different voting systems apply to different functional constituencies, namely for

2924-418: The day-to-day work of the State Council. The State Council includes 26 constituent departments, and oversees the province-level governments throughout China. Each ministry supervises one sector. Commissions outrank ministries and set policies for and coordinate the related activities of different administrative organs. Offices deal with matters of ongoing concern. The establishment, dissolution, or merger of

2992-580: The director, Luo Huining. In April 2021, a deputy director, Tan Tieniu , rejected claims that the decision by the NPCSC to have only "patriots" serve in the government was a step back for democracy in the city. On 16 July 2021, the United States Treasury announced it would sanction the 7 deputy directors: State Council of the People%27s Republic of China The premier is responsible for

3060-432: The end of August 2016, Sing Pao Daily News , which is known to be pro-Beijing, has been running anonymous critiques of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and the Liaison Office. The paper accused Leung and the Liaison Office of "inciting" Hong Kong independence and accused the Liaison Office of interfering in Hong Kong's domestic affairs and manipulating local Legislative Council elections by supporting groups that divide

3128-558: The four remaining directors as Chen Zhibin, Li Xuhong, Sun Zhongxin, and Chen Dunzhou. According to SCMP, the directors of Newman have been officials from the Liaison Office's Administration and Finance Department. The Liaison Office is often criticised of acting beyond its jurisdiction and violating the " One Country, Two Systems " principle and the Hong Kong Basic Law as "no department of the Central People's Government and no province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under

3196-540: The government, and also cut the number of directly elected members in the Legislative Council from 35 to 20, the Liaison Office claimed that the move would increase democracy in Hong Kong. On 30 October 2020, a 44-year-old employee of the Liaison Office was confirmed to have COVID-19, with case 5321. He arrived in Hong Kong from Shenzhen on October 6, and was exempted from quarantine, being a government official. Residents at his apartment (10-16 Ching Wah Street in North Point,

3264-441: The growing interference of the People's Republic of China into Hong Kong's political affairs. Since 2010, Hong Kong protesters began targeting the Liaison Office as the destination of the demonstrations. The Liaison Office worked on nurturing better educated candidates from the middle class to compete with the pro-democrats including Starry Lee and Chan Hak-kan of the DAB in the 2008 Legislative Council election . It also opposed

3332-569: The ideal time for electoral reform. While the democratic camp hoped to play up the issue of universal suffrage as a prominent issue in the election, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress ruled out universal suffrage for the Chief Executive election in 2007 and for LegCo elections in 2008 in April 2004 before the election. Despite this, the pro-democratic camp insisted on promoting their agenda, which seemed to backfire when

3400-541: The last several years alone. For the past several years, several District Council members have asked the government for a detailed breakdown of property owned by the Liaison Office and Newman Investment, as well as the reasoning for Newman Investment, a private company, to escape paying stamp duties. The government has consistently only given brief summarized results, hiding details on the transactions. 1 (Central and Western) 10 (Sha Tin) 2 (Kowloon City) 2 (Sha Tin) 20 (Kwun Tong) In April 2020, Demosisto distributed

3468-457: The legislature. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds vote and thereby also require support from the democratic camp. Despite the increase in the number of seats returned by geographical constituencies and the record turnout, the Democratic Party lost the status of being the largest political party in the Legislative Council to the pro-government Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong , DAB, who secured 12 seats if including

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3536-549: The majority in the legislature. However, pro-democracy candidates have maintained the threshold to block changes, if necessary, to the Basic Law of Hong Kong , since a two-thirds vote is required for amendment. The current Legislative Council also saw the entry of more radical members of the democratic camp . According to the Annex II of the Basic Law of Hong Kong , the 6-seat Election Committee constituency indirectly elected by

3604-467: The name "Xinhua News Agency Hong Kong branch" and was the de facto mission to Hong Kong when the city was under British colonial rule . The Liaison Office was established in 2000 to take on the liaison functions of Xinhua. It succeeded Xinhua to promote the pro-Beijing united front and coordinate with the pro-Beijing camp, mobilising supporters to vote for "patriotic" political parties and clandestinely orchestrating electoral campaigns. In late 2001,

3672-413: The polling station on the election day, in which the term was popularised in the following years. Leung Chun-ying was also criticised of undermining the "One Country, Two Systems" principle when he made a high-profile visit to the Liaison Office a day after his victory. In the 2012 Legislative Council election , various candidates, including Priscilla Leung and Paul Tse , were accused of being backed by

3740-612: The popular vote. On the other hand, the pro-Beijing and pro-business candidates made greater gains, winning 12 directly elected seats (up from 7). In the functional constituencies which the pro-democratic camp sought to abolish, the camp made more gains (from 5 to 7 seats). Overall, the democrats took 25 seats and the pro-government camp 35 seats. Bills initiated by the government can still be passed on pro-government support alone, but bills originated by members cannot be passed without democratic support, since these bills require absolute majorities in each sector (geographical and functional) of

3808-489: The premier. In practice, the vice premiers and State Councillors assume responsibility for one or more sectors or issues, and remain in contact with the various bodies responsible for policy related to that area. This allows the Standing Committee to oversee a wide range of government functions. Each State Councillor performs duties as designated by the Premier. The secretary-general heads the General Office which handles

3876-402: The previous record set in 1998 by 200,000 votes. While pro-democratic opposition candidates gained new seats in the legislature, their gains fell short of their expectations. In the geographical constituencies , candidates from the pro-democratic camp secured 60 percent of the seats in the geographical sectors of the election , taking 18 seats (up from 17) in this category, and 62 percent of

3944-491: The pro-Beijing members of the Legislative Council, including Jeffrey Lam , Andrew Leung , Sophie Lau , and Abraham Shek , who nominated Henry Tang , Leung's main rival, not to support the pan-democrats' motion of setting up a commission to investigate Leung Chun-ying's conflict of interest scandal in the West Kowloon Cultural District project. Cao Erbao reportedly telephoned and pressed Prof Gabriel Leung ,

4012-464: The pro-business Liberal Party which caused the 2008 electoral defeats of James Tien and Selina Chow which wiped out the directly elected seats of the Liberal Party and a split within the party which saw four of its seven legislators quit the party. The Liaison Office was accused of rigging in the 2011 District Council election where one elected district councilor was found to be a previous staff of

4080-413: The pro-democracy camp for organizing primaries for the 2020 Legislative Council, stating that they were ignoring possible breaches of the law. Additionally, the Liaison Office singled out Benny Tai , stating that they "believe that the general public can clearly see the evil intentions of Benny Tai and others, and the harm caused to Hong Kong society." In January 2021, it was reported that at least half of

4148-592: The pro-democracy camp, including the localist groups such as Youngspiration which had pro-independence tendency. The paper then urged the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the Chinese Communist Party to investigate Leung and Zhang Xiaoming , the Director of the Liaison Office, over power abuse. On 15 January 2018, during a public opening ceremony, Wang Zhimin, director of Beijing's Liaison Office confirmed Beijing's interference, and said he and Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor shared

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4216-563: The same wish that “Sai Wan” and “Central” must “walk together”, cooperating in an even closer fashion. On 21 July 2019, protesters surrounded the Hong Kong Liaison Office and defaced the Chinese national emblem, an act that was condemned by the government. In October 2020, SCMP reported that an employee from the Liaison Office had told lawmakers to not meet with officials from the Five Eyes (Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and

4284-428: The seats in the legislature so that they would have the power to veto all government proposals. The democratic camp called for direct elections for the Chief Executive of Hong Kong in 2007 and for LegCo in 2008 , as well as rapid political reform. In contrast, the pro-Beijing and pro-business candidates placed more emphasis on economic growth and social stability. Most of the political parties are now setting 2012 as

4352-492: The sixth anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR, against the legislation, the largest demonstration since the handover. The Article 23 legislation further crippled the Tung administration as the government saw its popularity dropped to a new low. The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), the largest pro-Beijing party saw its largest defeat in the District Council elections in November 2003, which alarmed

4420-442: The two members who ran under the banner of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions , and pro-business Liberal Party who secured 10 seats, thereby becoming only the third-largest party. Some attributed the poor performance of the pro-democratic camp to tactical miscalculation in vote allocation. This was not helped by some of the democratic parties' personal scandals . The pro-Beijing and pro-business parties succeeded in retaining

4488-511: The votes are divided equally to each candidate. The election was largely seen as a contest between the pro-democracy coalition and the pro-business and pro-Beijing coalitions. There were 162 candidates for 60 seats in the LegCo. Before the election, the pro-democratic camp was widely expected to gain the most votes and increase its representation from 22 seats in the LegCo. Some members of the pro-democratic camp aimed at securing an absolute majority of

4556-492: Was added two extra seats each, from six to eight and five to seven respectively, while the number of seats in Kowloon West remained four. The election came amidst the deteriorating governance and intense debates over constitutional reforms in Hong Kong. The Tung Chee-hwa administration had been embattling with economic recession brought by the 1997 financial crisis and the more prominent SARS outbreak in 2003. Nevertheless,

4624-492: Was held on 12 September 2004 for members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo). The election returned 30 members from directly elected geographical constituencies and 30 members from functional constituencies , of which 11 were unopposed. An unprecedented number of 3.2 million people registered to vote in the election. The turnout rate was an unprecedented 55.6% with 1,784,406 voters casting ballots , beating

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