Director of the liaison office of the central government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Zheng Yanxiong Photo: VCG

In speaking to the press on the first working day of assuming the duty as director of the liaison office of the central government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Zheng Yanxiong said that as long as there is no social turmoil in the city and it doesn't go in a wrong direction, Hong Kong will embrace a bright future. 

Zheng has been appointed as director of the liaison office, replacing Luo Huining, an official announcement said on Saturday. The 59-year-old official, who previously served as director of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, spent decades working in government in South China's Guangdong Province. He is fluent in Cantonese and has been closely observing changes in Hong Kong. 

"I have affection for Hong Kong," Zheng told the media on Monday. It has been more than two years since he started to work in the city in July 2020, and he has a deeper understanding and affection for Hong Kong, the official said. 

As Hong Kong has been undergoing the transformation from chaos to good governance under the implementation of the national security law for Hong Kong and the electoral reform that ensures only patriots administer the city, Zheng cited a quote from Chinese President Xi Jinping that "Hong Kong will have a promising future and great prosperity on the new journey in the new era."  

As long as there is no social turmoil and chaos, and as long as the city does not go in a wrong direction, it will surely have promising prospects, the director said. 

Observers in both Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland considered that the appointment was not surprising, as Zheng has become familiar with Hong Kong affairs after years of work at the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR. They believed that he is the right person to take the office. 

Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, has said that under the US-led Western policy of containing China, the situation of national security has been growing severe. 

The central government and the HKSAR government need to increase vigilance and enhance cooperation on this situation, Lau Siu-kai, a consultant from the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies who is also a senior policy advisor, told the Global Times on Monday. 

"Zheng's experience in safeguarding national security will help the HKSAR government and local society to ensure the full implementation of the national security law for Hong Kong, ensuring the city's stability and increasing public awareness of national security," Lau said. 

He is also a fluent speaker of Cantonese, which will help him to communicate with different aspects of society, the senior expert said. 

When delivering a 2023 Spring Festival address on Sunday, Zheng called on the city to grasp the opportunities provided by the Chinese mainland to gain more prosperity. It was his first Spring Festival address as the director of the liaison office to Hong Kong society.

Echoing the central government's official, Chief Executive of the HKSAR John Lee said Hong Kong society needs to cherish the hard-won transformation to good governance, increase new growth momentum and use its unique advantages to unleash its enormous creativity. 

The central government's new policy for Hong Kong has been formulated and gradually implemented, and no matter who is the director of the liaison office, he will need to carry out the policy to ensure the city's stability and accelerate its integration into the country's overall development, observers said. 

Zheng continues serving as the national security advisor to the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR, according to the announcement. 

Observers said that since the establishment of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR about two years ago, Zheng has kept a low-profile but pragmatic attitude with a firm stance and clear views. For example, when he mentioned the social turmoil in 2019, Zheng said there's no room for compromise but the only way is to fight and handle it in accordance with the law. 

When talking about governing Hong Kong, Zheng said earlier that law-based governance is the most reliable form of governance, which wins public support.  

In his latest Spring Festival greetings to the local community, Zheng has demonstrated his commitment to his office, Chu Kar-kin, a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies and veteran current affairs commentator based in Hong Kong, told the Global Times on Monday. 

"He emphasized the rule of law, earning high recognition in Hong Kong society. I trust that he is fit for the new challenges and is an ideal official taking up the responsibilities," Chu said.