Xia Baolong has been named the head of the revamped Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), which is now under the direct scrutiny of the Communist Party, according to an official statement on Tuesday.

In March, Beijing unveiled plans to turn the HKMAO into a higher-level body that answers to the party's Central Committee, rather than the State Council.

The top office held its first meeting in Beijing on Tuesday since the revamp, which showed Xia as the chair.

Separately, Zhou Ji was appointed executive deputy director of the office, who's in charge of day-to-day operations, while Hong Kong liaison office chief Zheng Yanxiong and Macau liaison office chief Zheng Xincong were named as deputy directors.

Zhou, 59, was named deputy governor of Henan in 2021 and was later made head of the party commission that oversees law enforcement in the central province.

The two existing HKMAO deputy directors, Yang Wanming and Wang Linggui, are staying on.

The office, overseen by the Central Committee and under the State Council, is responsible for supervising matters such as the implementation of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle, the implementation of the central authorities' overall governing power, and Hong Kong and Macau's integration into the nation's development. (Additional reporting by Reuters)