Photo taken on July 14, 2020 shows the Golden Bauhinia Square in south China's Hong Kong, July 14, 2020.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
With a professional background in the national security ministry and experience in leading counter-espionage services, Dong Jingwei, formerly the vice minister of the state security, has been appointed as the new head of the central government's office for safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). This appointment, according to some experts, is expected to reinforce the law enforcement of local police and enhance the capabilities of the country and the city in addressing national security threats. 

China's State Council announced the appointment on Tuesday. Dong's role as director of the central government's office for safeguarding national security in the HKSAR was reported by the Xinhua News Agency late Tuesday night. 

Dong currently serves as a member of the Party Committee and deputy minister of the Ministry of State Security (MSS). He has previously held positions as the secretary of the Party Committee and director of the Hebei Provincial Department of State Security, and as a member of the Party Committee, deputy minister, and director of the Political Department of the Ministry of State Security, according to a resume published on the China Law Society website. He is also the vice president of the society. 

HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee welcomed the State Council's appointment. The HKSAR government will continue to work and communicate closely with the office and to do its utmost in implementing the National Security Law for Hong Kong, fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of the HKSAR in safeguarding national security, Lee said. 

Dong, 59, succeeded Zheng Yanxiong in the position of head of the central government's office for safeguarding national security in HKSAR. Zheng was promoted to head Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong in January. 

In 2021, Dong, in his capacity as vice minister of state security, presided over a symposium focused on studying regulations on counter-espionage security work, pointing out that counter-espionage and anti-spying work not only involves capturing spies, but also "traitors within" and "backstage financiers." 

The symposium also noted that the foreign espionage agencies and various hostile forces have significantly escalated their infiltration and theft of secrets from China. Of particular concern were individuals who willingly act as "traitors within," secretly colluding with foreign espionage agencies and hostile forces to engage in anti-China activities. There are also certain individuals who serve as "backstage financiers," transferring funds through illegal means to hostile forces to support anti-China activities, according to media reports. 

Dong was originally the vice minister of the State Security Department, possessing extensive experience in maintaining national security, especially in understanding threats to national security related to Hong Kong, Lau Siu-kai, a consultant from the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and a commentator based in Hong Kong, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

Amid the ongoing containment on China from the US and some Western countries, foreign forces continue to exploit the highly open city of Hong Kong to threaten national security, Lau said. Dong taking up the role of the head of security office will strengthen the cooperation between the central government and the HKSAR government in dealing with national security threats and enhance the law enforcement capabilities of the Hong Kong Police Force's National Security Department, the expert said.

When asked about the "concerns" of foreign diplomats and business people about the appointment, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday that Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong,  Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs. No foreign country has the right to make unwarranted accusations or meddle in those affairs, Mao emphasized. 

Considering that the Hong Kong Police Force in July issued arrest warrants for eight anti-China rioters who have fled overseas and allegedly violated the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong, some experts believe the latest appointment will also help local police to arrest the rioters. 

"Dong could also play the role of supervising, guiding and supporting the NSL at Hong Kong enforcement agencies, and undertake the duties of direct jurisdiction if the relevant cases meet the conditions required by the NSL," Tian Feilong, a legal expert at Beihang University in Beijing, told the Global Times on Wednesday.