The Group was established as the Central Coordination Group for Hong Kong and Macau Affairs on 17 August 1978 though an informal Hong Kong-Macau affairs group had formed much earlier.[1]
In 2020, in the context of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, the group was upgraded from a Central Coordination Group to a Central Leading Group.[2]
Under the Party and State reforms adopted in 2023, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council became the external name of the "Hong Kong and Macau Work Office of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party".[3][4]
Functions
The Central Leading Group is the CCP's top decision-making body in regards to Hong Kong and Macau.[5]
The Hong Kong and Macau Work Office is the executive arm of the Central Leading Group, responsible for researching, coordinating between national and local governments, and supervising the implementation of Hong Kong and Macau affairs related policies, such as the one country, two systems framework and national security.[5] The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council, previously a separate unit, is the external name of the Office.
^ ab"中央港澳工作领导完整名单浮出水面 中央对港澳工作重心未发生明显变化" [The complete list of leaders of the central Hong Kong and Macao work group has surfaced. The focus of the central government’s work on Hong Kong and Macao has not changed significantly.]. Lianhe Zaobao. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2023.