China's State Council on Friday announced the appointment of Luo Huining as national security adviser to the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

Luo is current the director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR.

The committee,which is chaired by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor,is a new local government agency set up to handle national security affairs as requested by the recently enacted national security law for Hong Kong. The law was passed unanimously on Tuesday by China's top legislature.

The law also stipulates that the central government shall establish an office for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong to investigate special criminal cases, collect intelligence and exercise jurisdiction over a small number of criminal cases under specific circumstances.

The State Council announced on Friday the appointment of the central office's leading staff. Zheng Yanxiong, currently serving as the member of the Standing Committee of Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, was appointed head of the office.

The State Council also named Li Jiangzhou and Sun Qingye as deputy heads of the office. Li is the director-general of the Police Liaison Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.