Hong Kong’s next Chief Govt shall be Beijing loyalist John Lee

John Lee, a pro-Beijing loyalist who's the one candidate for Hong Kong's high submit, has been elected to be Hong Kong's subsequent chief government.

Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Photos

John Lee, a Beijing loyalist, has been elected to be Hong Kong's next chief executive.

Lee, the one candidate for Hong Kong's prime publish, gained 1,416 votes in Sunday's election.

About 1,500 members of a largely pro-Beijing election committee solid their votes to pick the brand new chief. Lee only needed a easy majority to win.

The 64-year-old Lee, who was previously Hong Kong's chief secretary, will begin his five-year term on July 1, changing outgoing Chief Govt Carrie Lam.

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, after the U.Ok. handed over the former colony to Beijing. It's ruled underneath the "one nation, two methods" framework, and has limited election rights and a mostly separate legal and economic system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went by a major overhaul final yr after Beijing stated that solely so-called "patriots" must be allowed to manipulate town.

At a press convention after his election, Lee was asked if his efficiency can be "challenged by the dearth of electoral mandate and legitimacy within the eyes of some folks."

His reply was that his election was "run in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong."

"Anybody, who according to the regulation is qualified, can take part and run for the election," he added.

Mentioning that he garnered greater than 1,400 votes, Lee stated: "With that number of help, of course, it encourages me and gives me the strong confidence that my direction is agreed and shared by a number of election committee members."

John Lee, a Beijing loyalist, has been picked to be the city's next chief government.

Bloomberg | Getty Photographs

In a observe last week, analysts at Eurasia Group weighed in on Beijing's choice of Lee as the following Hong Kong leader.

"The number of Lee, a profession police officer who performed a number one position within the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that began in 2019, indicates that Beijing's prime priority for Hong Kong is sustaining political safety reasonably than preserving its function as a dynamic international hub," they said.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a global monetary and enterprise center to enjoying a narrower function as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts mentioned. "Whereas the risks to political and financial stability are modest, Lee's administration may be poorly geared up to respond to a serious shock."

In step with China's Covid-19 policy, Hong Kong has a so-called "dynamic zero" strategy for the virus and imposed strict measures in January in an attempt to blunt its spread. The town tightened restrictions additional in February as new instances raged, but began easing barely in late April.

The election was earlier postponed because of a surge in Covid cases within the Asian monetary hub.

I make it a really clear level that I am very conscious of the have to be accessible to the world. And also it is a vital factor for Hong Kong to have the ability to resume normal travel with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief government

On the press conference, Lee was additionally requested how he'll show the worldwide community that Hong Kong is open for enterprise.

"Yes, now we have challenges now due to the necessity to control Covid-19 and some of the measures are certainly creating inconvenience," he acknowledged.

"I make it a very clear point that I'm very aware of the must be accessible to the world. And in addition it is an important thing for Hong Kong to have the ability to resume normal journey with the mainland."

He said he might be speaking to his counterparts in Beijing "to seek out out what are the circumstances that will likely be required for regular travel to be resumed with the mainland."

Lee additionally referred to as on residents to comply with the recommendation and measures of the government, and said town will seek to spice up its vaccination rate. In keeping with authorities statistics, more than 91% of the population above the age of 12 have acquired their first vaccine dose as of Saturday, and 85.2% have received their second dose.

Hong Kong's outgoing chief government Lam congratulated Lee on Sunday.

"I extend my sincere congratulations to Mr John Lee on his successful election," she mentioned in a press release. "The current-term authorities and I will ensure a seamless transition with the Chief Executive-elect. We'll render all the help needed for the assumption of workplace by the brand new time period of presidency."

Correction: This story has been updated to mirror that John Lee won 1,416 votes in Hong Kong's chief government election. An earlier version of the story misrepresented that figure.