BEIJING (AP) – Xiao Baolong, a notorious anti-Christian saint who is notorious for destroying thousands of Christian churches in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang, has been appointed head of China’s administrative office in Hong Kong. Xiao, a close confidant of Chinese President Xi Jinping, has been appointed director of the Hong Kong Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) in place of Zhang Xiaoing. State media reported on Thursday that Xiao’s appointment as part of a bureaucratic scandal following the coronavirus epidemic is seen by experts as a sign of strengthening China’s control over Hong Kong, which is a semi-autonomous state.
Chinese university professor Willie Lam responded that the appointment of Xiao was bad news for Hong Kong. “China aims to strengthen its surveillance and control in all spheres of society,” he said. At a plenary session of the Communist Party in China last November, China said it would strengthen its control over Hong Kong. While in Zhejiang province, many people, including government officials, disagreed with Xiao because of the repressive actions against the Christian community.
