The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has replaced party chiefs in the central Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, amid the coronavirus outbreak there, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.Ying Yong has been appointed as CPC secretary of the Hubei provincial committee, replacing Jiang Jiang Chaoliang, and Wang Zhonglin has taken over for Ma Guoqiang’s post as the CPC secretary of the Wuhan Municipal Committee, the news agency reported.

Apart from that, China’s State Council has replaced the director of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs, appointing Xia Baolong and dismissing Zhang Xiaoming, according to Xinhua.

However, other media reports suggested that Zhang’s dismissal was associated with the violent protests in Hong Kong rather than with the virus outbreak.According to the latest official data on coronavirus, over 60,000 confirmed cases have been reported worldwide, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,350 people.

Hong Kong has been gripped by protests since June.

The demonstrations, initially a response to an extradition bill, continued even after the highly unpopular measure was withdrawn in October.

Beijing views the situation in Hong Kong as a result of foreign interference in China’s domestic affairs.

NAN