HONG KONG, July 19 (Reuters) - China's appointment of a top intelligence official to run Hong Kong's national security regime underscores its determination to tighten its grip on the financial hub, according to diplomats and analysts.
Dong will bolster security oversight of Hong Kong, rocked for months in 2019 by pro-democracy protests that posed a crisis for Beijing's Communist Party leadership.
Under the security law, China's national security office has sweeping investigative and surveillance powers, and enjoys immunity from city laws.
Dong's appointment comes as Hong Kong prepares to bolster its national security regimen with a new law, called Article 23, that Hong Kong officials say will encompass espionage and treason among other offences not covered in the 2020 legislation.
Additional reporting by Hong Kong newsroom and Yew Lun Tian in Beijing; editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Dong Jingwei, Dong, Xi Jinping's, Tian, Robert Birsel
Organizations:
Hong, Beijing's Communist Party, Ministry of State Security, U.S, Hong Kong, Thomson
Locations:
HONG KONG, British, Beijing, Hong Kong, China, United States, Britain, Australia