After the 2014 Hong Kong protests, the union has been campaigning heavily for institutional autonomy. In March 2015, Andrew Liao was appointed as chairman of the Council, the supreme governing body of the HKUST, by Chief Executive CY Leung. As Liao was regarded as a keen supporter of Leung, the union issued a statement in opposition of the appointment on the grounds that it constituted alleged nepotism. In response to the union's statement, the government defended its decision as abiding by the rule of meritocracy.