China Appoints Hardliner Known for Crackdown Against Churches to Oversight Role in Hong Kong
(Worthy News) – Xia Baolong, a former deputy and ally of President Xi Jinping, has been appointed by the Chinese government as the new director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. It’s a move seen by some political analysts that Beijing intends to tighten its control over the city.
The Guardian reports Xia’s reputation comes from his 2014 campaign to tear down thousands of Christian crosses and many underground churches in the Zhejiang province. Xia, 67, later took command of the province, serving as party secretary until 2017.
Hong Kong saw months of anti-government protests drawing thousands of people over an extradition bill that would have required suspects to be sent to the mainland for trial. The city later withdrew the bill that sparked the protests – the most flagrant challenge to Beijing’s authority since the United Kingdom turned over its former colony to mainland rule in 1997. [ Source: CBN News (Read More…) ]