New HK, Macao work office makes debut

A new Hong Kong and Macao Work Office, under the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made its debut as its deputy head reportedly attended a recent event.

According to the website of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the 2023 Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Cooperation Chief Executives Joint Conference was held in Guiyang, Guizhou province. The event was attended by heads of several provincial regions.

Yang Wanming, the deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office under the CPC Central Committee, and other officials from the office attended the meeting, according to the report.

It was the first time the newly launched office appeared in public reports, and also the first time that Yang made an appearance in his capacity as a senior official of the office.

Yang, 59, holds a doctoral degree in law. He has previously served as the director-general of the Latin American Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador of China to Chile, Ambassador of China to Argentina and Ambassador of China to Brazil.

He assumed the position of deputy director of the State Council Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office in April 2022.

A Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee will be formed based on the existing Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, according to a plan released by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on reforming Party and State institutions in March.

The new office will function as a working body of the CPC Central Committee, according to the plan.