The president and vice-chancellor of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), Zhang Xiang, on Wednesday confirmed he wasn't told about new senior staff appointments by the HKU council, saying it severely undermined the institution's "century-old academic autonomy".

In an email to HKU teaching staff and students, Zhang said the council's move to appoint several interim vice-presidents without consulting him violated established procedures and disregarded the fundamentals of good governance.

According to the University of Hong Kong Ordinance and Statutes, the president was granted the authority to appoint temporary senior management officers, he added.

"Neither were the nominations for these interim vice-presidents recommended by me, nor was I consulted about them. The university management did not have prior knowledge of these appointments at all," he wrote.

"The stability and development of our University, as well as the reputation of Hong Kong, are now at risk, not to mention the negative impact on our efforts to attract global talent."

The changes reportedly include a demotion for Richard Wong, Zhang’s right-hand man and deputy vice-chancellor, who had served as the university’s interim provost since 2019.

It is understood that Wong had been appointed as a vice-president and would oversee institutional advancement, while his original post would be taken up by Vivian Yam, a professor at the science faculty.

Separately, Zhang said he was thrilled that HKU had ranked higher than ever before in the new QS World University Rankings, adding he was dedicated to leading the institution to new heights and positioning it alongside the world's leading universities.

HKU climbed up nine places to 17 on QS’s list of the world’s top universities.