Zhang Xiaoming (; born 3 September 1963) is a Chinese politician. He was the director of the

Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (; abbr. LOCPG or 香港中聯辦) is the agency that represents the Chinese Central People's Government in Hong Kong. It replaced the New Ch ...

and then of the

Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council is an administrative agency of the State Council of the People's Republic of China responsible for promoting cooperation and coordination of political, economic and cultural ties betwe ...

, before being demoted to deputy director of the latter due to the

2019–2020 Hong Kong protests The Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement, also known as the 2019 Hong Kong protests, or the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, were a series of demonstrations from 15 March 2019 in response to the introduction by the Hong Kong government ...

Early life

Zhang was born in Taizhou, Jiangsu in September 1963. He graduated from

Southwest University of Political Science & Law Southwest University of Political Science and Law (SWUPL) is a national public university located in Chongqing, China. It was founded in 1953 with the original name Southwest College of Political Science and Law. It was one of the first faculti ...

and

Renmin University of China The Renmin University of China (RUC; ) is a national key public research university in Beijing, China. The university is affiliated to the Ministry of Education, and co-funded by the Ministry and the Beijing Municipal People's Government. RUC ...

in 1984, where he majored in law. He studied under Gao Mingxuan (), who is a famous jurist in China. Zhang received an

LLM A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

from Renmin University of China in 1986.

Party politician

In 1986, Zhang was assigned to

as a secretary for Liao Hui. On 18 December 2012, Zhang started serving as director of the

Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (; abbr. LOCPG or 香港中聯辦) is the agency that represents the Chinese Central People's Government in Hong Kong. It replaced the New Ch ...

and spearheaded the CCP's efforts against the democratic movement in the former British colony. In a widely reported incident he stated to pro-democratic legislative council member

Leung Yiu-chung Leung Yiu-chung (, born 19 May 1953) is a Hong Kong politician. He is a member of the pro-labour Neighbourhood and Worker's Service Centre, part of the pan-democracy camp, and a former long-time member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kon ...

that "the fact that you are allowed to stay alive already shows the country's inclusiveness". In September 2015, Zhang stirred controversy in Hong Kong after claiming that the

Chief Executive of Hong Kong The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and head of the Government of Hong Kong. The position was created to replace the office of governor of ...

had a "special legal position which overrides administrative, legislative and judicial organs" and that

separation of powers Separation of powers refers to the division of a state's government into branches, each with separate, independent powers and responsibilities, so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with those of the other branches. The typic ...

is "not suitable for Hong Kong". Chief Executive

Leung Chun-ying Leung Chun-ying (; born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a Hong Kong politician and chartered surveyor, who has served as vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since Ma ...

subsequently affirmed that his position is "transcendent" of the branches of the state. He continued as director of the Liaison Office till 2017, when he was promoted to director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. He was demoted, in February 2020, during the widespread anti-government protests and the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

affecting Hong Kong, to a deputy directorship of that office. Zhang is an alternate member of the 18th Central Committee of the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...

. In November 2020, following the expulsion of 4 pro-democracy lawmakers from the Legislative Council, Zhang said "Hong Kong’s administrators must be patriots... and people who are anti-China and cause trouble in Hong Kong must be kicked out. This is a political rule under 'one country, two systems', and has become a legal requirement now." Also in November 2020, Zhang called for judicial reforms in Hong Kong. In January 2021, Chief Justice

Geoffrey Ma Geoffrey Ma Tao-li (; born 11 January 1956) is a retired Hong Kong judge who served as the 2nd Chief Justice of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal— the court of last resort (or supreme court) in Hong Kong. Between 2001 and 2010, he held ...

responded and said that the judiciary should not be reformed simply due to the pro-Beijing party being unhappy with the court's rulings. In March 2021, while on a trip to Hong Kong to survey opinions about planned changes to the electoral system to implement "patriots" ruling the government, Zhang claimed that he met with pan-democrats, without specifically naming any.

US sanctions

In August 2020, Zhang and ten other officials were sanctioned by the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...

under

Executive Order 13936 Executive Order 13936, entitled "The President’s Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization", is an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump on July 14, 2020. On the same day Trump had signed into law Hong Kong Autonomy Act, one ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

for undermining Hong Kong's autonomy. On October 14, 2020, the United States Department of State released a report on 10 individuals who materially contributed to the failure of China to meet its obligations under the Sino–British Joint Declaration and Hong Kong's Basic Law. Zhang was on the list.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Xiaoming 1963 births People from Taizhou, Jiangsu Members of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Alternate members of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Delegates to the 12th National People's Congress Delegates to the 11th National People's Congress Southwest University of Political Science & Law alumni Renmin University of China alumni Living people Individuals sanctioned by the United States under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act Chinese individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions