The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the State Council has established the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the Central Committee and will no longer retain the separate Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council.
The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Central Committee is responsible for the investigation, research, overall planning, coordination, and supervision of the implementation of the ‘One country, two systems’ policy, the implementation of the central government’s overall governance power, the rule of law in Hong Kong and Macau, the maintenance of national security, as well as the support of Hong Kong and Macau’s integration into the overall development of the country.
The changes imply the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office will answer to the party’s Central Committee instead of the State Council, according to an institutional reform proposal released yesterday.
The announcement came just three days after China concluded its annual meetings of the legislature and top political advisory body. Staff Reporter
