Michael Shum

A mainland social scientist who speaks Arabic and specializes in terrorism, the Middle East and issues pertaining to Xinjiang has been appointed deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, sources said.

Wang Linggui, 55, is vice president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and was appointed one of the six deputy chiefs of the office under the State Council, according to Sing Tao Daily, The Standard's sister paper.

Sources from Beijing's social sciences sector said that Wang was appointed before the Lunar New Year, and will take office today.

The office and the academy have yet to confirm the appointment due to the holidays.

However, according to the academy's website, Wang was the only one absent from its latest activity attended by all academy leaders before the holidays.

Wang was born in Shandong in 1967, and graduated from the Beijing Foreign Studies University with a major in the Arabic language. He went on to earn a doctorate in law.

He has been a Chinese Communist Party member for over 30 years.

Upon his graduation, he joined the Hong Kong Economic Times as a reporter in 1988. Afterward, he became a researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council of China in Beijing before being promoted to its deputy chief post.

Wang was later transferred to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 2010 and took up senior leadership roles in the academy. Last year, he replaced Cai Fang as vice president of the academy.

His major research interests include Xinjiang, anti-terrorism, Islam and the Middle East on top of Hong Kong and Macau affairs.

Political commentator Lau Siu-kai, vice president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said he has known Wang for years.

Lau said: "Threats [to the SAR] posed by foreign forces have been increasing, and an expert in international politics joining the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office will help manage the complicated situation faced by Hong Kong."

Led by director Xia Baolong, the office has six deputy directors but one, Song Zhe, is expected to retire soon. Song was head of the Chinese mission to the European Union from 2007 to 2011 and he was also the Chinese foreign ministry's commissioner in Hong Kong from 2011 to 2016.

Wang Linggui

social scientist to be SAR affairs office deputy head