Party to pay closer attention to SAR affairs

The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office may be upgraded to an agency under the Chinese Communist Party - instead of the State Council - and officially take on a supervisory role for the liaison offices in the two SARs, sources said.

The proposed change is among the reforms to be discussed in the annual two-session meetings in Beijing at the weekend.

It comes as Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu yesterday met with over 100 Hong Kong members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference to exchange views on the city's integration into national development.

The meeting was hosted by Lee, chief secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki, secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai and CE's office director Carol Yip Man-kuen.

In a statement, the CE's office said attendees discussed promoting high-quality development in the Greater Bay Area, strengthening IT and youth development.

On lifting the mask mandate yesterday, Lee said: "Hong Kong has resumed normalcy in full and will spare no efforts in pursuing economic growth and development to bring benefits to the society as a whole."

He said authorities will continue to communicate closely with the CPPCC Hong Kong members on policy matters.

Over 180 CPPCC Hong Kong members will fly to Beijing in a charter flight today for the week-long Beijing meetings. Although they are not required to quarantine, they will be subject to closed-loop management during the period.

Meanwhile, the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee completed its second plenary session in Beijing Tuesday.

According to state media Xinhua News Agency, the three-day plenary session hosted by President Xi Jinping adopted a plan for "the reform of the party and state institutions."

The report said part of the plan will be tabled at the first session of the 14th National People's Congress meeting to be held Sunday for deliberation.

Sources said the plan covered the Hong Kong and Macau system, with a target to strengthen leadership by the CCP and the central government.

One proposal is to upgrade the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office from an institution, currently under the State Council, to a body directly under the party and the central government.

Sources said the move will also come with specifications that the office will act as supervisor to the two liaison offices in the SARs.

A pro-establishment source said: "There have been several versions [of how the Hong Kong and Macau system will be revised.] But we need to wait for official announcements."

The CPPCC meeting will also vote for the new Chinese leadership for the next five years.

Vice Premier Han Zheng is expected to succeed Wang Qishan as the next vice president in a surprise move after he stepped down from a top leadership role in the Politburo Standing Committee last November.

Han had reached the conventional retirement age of 68.

But he was re-elected as an NPC member for Shandong province in January.

Sources said Han, an expert in Hong Kong and Macau affairs, will become the next vice-president and assist Xi in foreign affairs.

The Politburo Standing Committee's second in command Li Qiang is set to succeed Li Keqiang as the premier, while third-in-line Zhao Leji is expected to become the NPC Standing Committee chairman.

Division of labor for the other Politburo Standing Committee members has also been set, with Wang Huning becoming CPPCC chairman, Cai Qi in charge of the party's affairs and propaganda, Ding Xuexiang as vice-premier and Li Xi as secretary of the party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

jane.cheung@singtaonewscorp.com