Beijing Puts Andy Tsang Forward For Top UN Post

Beijing on Wednesday confirmed that it has nominated former Hong Kong police chief Andy Tsang to lead a United Nations' body fighting crime.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a briefing in the capital that the central government has proposed Tsang as the next head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Geng said the nomination is a manifestation of China's determination to protect multilateralism and to support the work of the UN.

"China is willing to make a bigger contribution in terms of fighting cross-border crimes and joining international anti-drug control cooperation," he said.

Tsang has been a controversial figure in Hong Kong since the 2014 Umbrella Movement, with critics bemoaning his hardline stance against protesters who were met with tear gas at the start of the protests.

During his time as police commissioner from 2011 to 2015, demonstrations often descended into confrontations between police officers and protesters.

In April this year Tsang was appointed a vice-commissioner of the mainland’s National Narcotics Control Commission.