Beijing confirms Zhang Xiaoming and Hu Chunhua in top regional positions

The new face of Beijing's leadership in the region came into focus yesterday as Zhang Xiaoming was appointed head of the central government's liaison office in Hong Kong and Hu Chunhua was named to lead the economic powerhouse of Guangdong.

Hu - a top protégé of President Hu Jintao and the second-youngest member of the new Politburo - was officially appointed to replace Wang Yang at the helm of the southern province, a post long seen a stepping stone for future leaders.

The former Inner Mongolia party chief's promotion was one of five provincial party posts announced by the Central Committee's Organisation Department yesterday. Four of the five, including Hu Chunhua have served in roles in the Communist Youth League, a core power base for the outgoing president.

In addition, the State Council promoted Zhang, the deputy director of its Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, to lead its liaison office in Hong Kong. His predecessor, Peng Qinghua, is widely tipped to take up a regional government post on the mainland.

Just a few weeks ago, Zhang drew outrage with a newspaper commentary accusing external forces of interfering in Hong Kong's elections and calling on the city government to pass the controversial national security law required under Article 23 of the Basic Law "in due course".

The selection of the 49-year-old Hu to replace Wang was announced by Communist Party Organisation Department chief Zhao Leji during a meeting of senior Guangdong cadres yesterday. Wang, 57, is expected to move into higher office.

Hu Chunhua has sometimes been called "little Hu" due to his shared surname with the president and the similar track of their political careers. Both began their rise in the Youth League and spent time in Tibet.