Politburo standing committee member Ding Xuexiang was on Sunday elected as the nation’s first vice-premier, at a plenary meeting of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing.

Ding will succeed Han Zheng, who is now vice president. The other vice-premiers are He Lifeng, Zhang Guoqing and Liu Guozhong. All three are politburo members.

Hong Kong deputies to the NPC would not say whether Ding's appointment as the nation's top-ranked vice-premier also means he would assume Han's former role in overseeing Hong Kong affairs.

However, one deputy, Brave Chan, told reporters that Ding knows Hong Kong inside and out, noting that he had visited the city multiple times before and had taken part in discussions over the national security law here.

Another NPC deputy Ma Fung-kwok says he believes whoever's in charge would serve the city's best interests.

"It won't make a big difference who takes charge of Hong Kong affairs", Ma said. "[The central government] will continue to pay attention to Hong Kong, introduce policies to support Hong Kong, and ensure close connections between the SAR and the mainland."

A Chinese politics scholar said the new first vice-premier, Ding Xuexiang, will very likely be in charge of Hong Kong affairs – just like his predecessor Han Zheng.

Professor Jean-Pierre Cabestan from the Department of Government and International Studies at the Baptist University said Hong Kong would further integrate with the mainland if Ding was put in charge of SAR affairs.

"Ding Xuexiang is very close to Xi Jinping. He's been the director of the very powerful general office of the central committee of the Communist Party for five years, so it means that Xi Jinping can rely on someone who is very close to him and he trusts a lot to be in charge of Hong Kong," he said.

"So it means that Hong Kong will be even more integrated into China, into the mainland."

A host of other key officials were announced during the plenary meeting, with Premier Li Qiang nominating Yi Gang, 65, to remain governor of the People's Bank of China and Liu Kun, 66, to stay on as finance minister.

President Xi Jinping opted for a measure of continuity in key economic policymaking posts after Li was named premier, to replace the retiring Li Keqiang.

As expected, Wang Wentao was nominated to stay on as minister of commerce. Zheng Shanjie, governor and deputy party secretary of Zhejiang province, was nominated to take over as head of the National Development and Reform Commission, the powerful state planner. (Additional reporting by agencies)

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Last updated: 2023-03-12 HKT 18:09