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Saturday, Feb 22, 2025
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China’s security agency buys HK$508mn Hong Kong mansion
The Chinese agency overseeing national security in Hong Kong splurged on a HK$508 million ($65 million) mansion in the city’s upscale Beacon Hill neighborhood.
The Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was this week listed as the buyer of a 7,171-square foot (666-square meter) residential mansion on the city’s northern Kowloon side, according to the Land Registry.
The villa includes five bedrooms and five bathrooms as well as a garden. The property was bought from developer Kerry Properties Ltd., owned by the billionaire Kuok family.
The agency was set up in 2020 after Beijing imposed a national security law on the Chinese territory following months-long, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the previous year.
Some 230 individuals have been arrested by the national security police, including former opposition lawmakers, journalists and pro-democracy activists.
One of the office’s founding officials, Zheng Yanxiong, has been sanctioned by the US over his role in the crackdown on Hong Kong.
The purchase comes after last month’s 20th National Congress at which President Xi Jinping secured a third term and reiterated his calls for more Chinese “common prosperity,” a campaign to limit income and wealth inequality.
The agency has no public contact information. A representative for Hong Kong’s local security bureau didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Kerry Properties didn’t immediately respond to an email.
The villa includes five bedrooms and five bathrooms as well as a garden. The property was bought from developer Kerry Properties Ltd., owned by the billionaire Kuok family.
The agency was set up in 2020 after Beijing imposed a national security law on the Chinese territory following months-long, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the previous year.
Some 230 individuals have been arrested by the national security police, including former opposition lawmakers, journalists and pro-democracy activists.
One of the office’s founding officials, Zheng Yanxiong, has been sanctioned by the US over his role in the crackdown on Hong Kong.
The purchase comes after last month’s 20th National Congress at which President Xi Jinping secured a third term and reiterated his calls for more Chinese “common prosperity,” a campaign to limit income and wealth inequality.
The agency has no public contact information. A representative for Hong Kong’s local security bureau didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Kerry Properties didn’t immediately respond to an email.
