After 2003:The "Second Government"
After the pro-democracy tide in 2003,the Liaison Office established two new departments,one for police affairs and another for community organisations. It adopted a hard-line policy toward the democrats. In the 2004 Legislative Council election,the Liaison Office mobilised the members of the pro-Beijing interest groups and housing associations,including the Hokkien community,to support and vote for the DAB and the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) candidates. [9]
Beijing also strengthened the Liaison Office to influence day-to-day affairs in Hong Kong and effectively operated as a "second government" in Hong Kong,reviewing and approving all potential candidates in the elections. Cao Erbao,director of the Liaison Office's Research Department who coined the "second government" concept,wrote that Hong Kong went from being ruled by one entity to being ruled by two:the Hong Kong government and "a team of Central and Mainland authorities carrying out Hong Kong work." [10] It sparked great controversy in some sectors of Hong Kong society,already worried about the growing interference of the People's Republic of China into Hong Kong's political affairs. [11] Since 2010,Hong Kong protesters began targeting the Liaison Office as the destination of the demonstrations.
The Liaison Office worked on nurturing better educated candidates from the middle class to compete with the pro-democrats including Starry Lee and Chan Hak-kan of the DAB in the 2008 Legislative Council election. It also opposed the pro-business Liberal Party which caused the 2008 electoral defeats of James Tien and Selina Chow which wiped out the directly elected seats of the Liberal Party and a split within the party which saw four of its seven legislators quit the party. [12]
The Liaison Office was accused of rigging in the 2011 District Council election where one elected district councilor was found to be a previous staff of the Liaison Office.
Since 2012:"Sai Wan ruling Hong Kong"
In early 2012,the Liaison Office,located in Sai Wan district,aggressively lobbied the Election Committee members for Leung Chun-ying to be elected in the Chief Executive election. The Liaison Office was accused of lobbying the 60 members of the Agriculture and Fisheries Subsector to nominate Leung in order to enter the race. It was reported that the Liaison Office pressured the pro-Beijing members of the Legislative Council,including Jeffrey Lam,Andrew Leung,Sophie Lau,and Abraham Shek,who nominated Henry Tang,Leung's main rival,not to support the pan-democrats' motion of setting up a commission to investigate Leung Chun-ying's conflict of interest scandal in the West Kowloon Cultural District project. [13] Cao Erbao reportedly telephoned and pressed Prof Gabriel Leung,the Director of the Office of the Chief Executive,to slow a conflict of interest investigation in the project that threatened to cast Leung in a bad light. This allegation sparked a controversy in which the pan-democracy camp and business community condemned the Liaison Office of meddling into Hong Kong domestic affairs. The pan-democrat Election Committee members held a slogan of "No to Sai Wan ruling Hong Kong" in the polling station on the election day,in which the term was popularised in the following years. Leung Chun-ying was also criticised of undermining the "One Country,Two Systems" principle when he made a high-profile visit to the Liaison Office a day after his victory. [14]
In the 2012 Legislative Council election,various candidates,including Priscilla Leung and Paul Tse,were accused of being backed by the Liaison Office. The Liaison Office was also accused of orchestrating the 2016 Legislative Council election. The term "Sai Wan Party" also became popular during the election,when several pro-Beijing candidates,including Priscilla Leung,Paul Tse,Regina Ip,Junius Ho,and Eunice Yung were perceived to be backed by the Liaison Office,all of whom were elected with Liaison Office's support. [15]
Starting from the end of August 2016, Sing Pao Daily News ,which is known to be pro-Beijing,has been running anonymous critiques of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and the Liaison Office. The paper accused Leung and the Liaison Office of "inciting" Hong Kong independence and accused the Liaison Office of interfering in Hong Kong's domestic affairs and manipulating local Legislative Council elections by supporting groups that divide the pro-democracy camp,including the localist groups such as Youngspiration which had pro-independence tendency. The paper then urged the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the Chinese Communist Party to investigate Leung and Zhang Xiaoming,the Director of the Liaison Office,over power abuse. [16]
On 15 January 2018,during a public opening ceremony,Wang Zhimin,director of Beijing's Liaison Office confirmed Beijing's interference,and said he and Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor shared the same wish that “Sai Wan”and “Central”must “walk together”,cooperating in an even closer fashion. [17]
On 21 July 2019,protesters surrounded the Hong Kong Liaison Office and defaced the Chinese national emblem,an act that was condemned by the government.
In October 2020,SCMP reported that an employee from the Liaison Office had told lawmakers to not meet with officials from the Five Eyes (Australia,Britain,Canada,New Zealand,and the United States) or countries from Europe. [18]
In November 2020,following the expulsion of 4 pro-democracy lawmakers from the Legislative Council,the Liaison Office said,"The political rule that Hong Kong must be governed by patriots shall be firmly guarded." [19]
At the end of November 2020,the Liaison Office reportedly onboarded Zheng Lin as its propaganda department's deputy minister. [20]
The Liaison Office condemned the pro-democracy camp for organizing primaries for the 2020 Legislative Council,stating that they were ignoring possible breaches of the law. [21] Additionally,the Liaison Office singled out Benny Tai,stating that they "believe that the general public can clearly see the evil intentions of Benny Tai and others,and the harm caused to Hong Kong society." [21]
In January 2021,it was reported that at least half of the 480 employees at the headquarters (The Westpoint) were reshuffled and that many of them had no previous connections to Hong Kong. [22] [23]
In February 2021,the Liaison Office issued orders to members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference,where points would be given to members who write pro-government op-eds and social media posts. [24]
In March 2021,after the NPCSC passed legislation to allow only "patriots" to serve in the government,and also cut the number of directly elected members in the Legislative Council from 35 to 20,the Liaison Office claimed that the move would increase democracy in Hong Kong. [25]
COVID-19
On 30 October 2020,a 44-year-old employee of the Liaison Office was confirmed to have COVID-19,with case 5321. [26] He arrived in Hong Kong from Shenzhen on October 6,and was exempted from quarantine,being a government official. [27] Residents at his apartment (10-16 Ching Wah Street in North Point,a building owned by the Liaison Office) were required to undergo virus testing. [28] Additionally,people at his office (West Wing of Shun Tak,which he traveled to in a company vehicle) were required to undergo virus testing,and 11 coworkers were required to undergo quarantine. [28] [29]
Religion
In October 2021,the Liaison Office met senior Hong Kong Catholic clergymen and briefed them on Xi Jinping's views on the "Sinicization" of religion,or the adoption of "Chinese characteristics" within established religions. [30]
