Central gov't assigns new representative to HK

The State Council, China's Cabinet, on Tuesday appointed Zhang Xiaoming as

director of the central government's liaison office in the Hong Kong Special

Administrative Region (HKSAR).

Zhang, who is replacing Peng Qinghua, will no longer serve as deputy

director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council,

according to an official statement issued Tuesday.

The State Council also ended Li Gang's term as deputy head of the

liaison office in Hong Kong.

The statement offered no other details.

Zhang was born in September 1963. He was elected an alternate member of

the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which was held last

month.