Hong Kong’s subsequent Chief Government might be Beijing loyalist John Lee

John Lee, a pro-Beijing loyalist who is the one candidate for Hong Kong's top put up, has been elected to be Hong Kong's subsequent chief govt.

Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Photos

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

Lee, the one candidate for Hong Kong's top post, 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 leader. Lee only wanted a simple majority to win.

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

Hong Kong is a special administrative area of China which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, after the U.Ok. handed over the former colony to Beijing. It is ruled underneath the "one nation, two techniques" framework, and has restricted election rights and a mostly separate authorized and financial system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went by way of a serious overhaul last yr after Beijing stated that only so-called "patriots" needs to be allowed to govern the city.

At a press conference after his election, Lee was asked if his performance shall be "challenged by the shortage of electoral mandate and legitimacy in the eyes of some folks."

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

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

Mentioning that he garnered greater than 1,400 votes, Lee said: "With that variety of support, in fact, it encourages me and provides me the robust confidence that my path 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 executive.

Bloomberg | Getty Images

In a word final week, analysts at Eurasia Group weighed in on Beijing's choice of Lee as the subsequent Hong Kong leader.

"The collection of Lee, a career police officer who played a leading role within the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that began in 2019, signifies that Beijing's high priority for Hong Kong is maintaining political security fairly than preserving its position as a dynamic international hub," they said.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a worldwide monetary and business center to taking part in a narrower function as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts stated. "While the risks to political and financial stability are modest, Lee's administration could also be poorly equipped to reply to a major shock."

In line 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 try and blunt its spread. The town tightened restrictions additional in February as new circumstances raged, but started easing barely in late April.

The election was earlier postponed as a consequence of a surge in Covid instances within the Asian financial hub.

I make it a very clear point that I am very conscious of the have to be accessible to the world. And in addition it is a crucial factor for Hong Kong to have the ability to resume regular journey with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief government

At the press conference, Lee was additionally asked how he'll show the worldwide neighborhood that Hong Kong is open for enterprise.

"Yes, we've challenges now due to the need to management Covid-19 and a few of the measures are certainly creating inconvenience," he acknowledged.

"I make it a really clear point that I am very acutely aware of the should be accessible to the world. And likewise it is a crucial factor for Hong Kong to be able to resume regular travel with the mainland."

He stated he might be speaking to his counterparts in Beijing "to search out out what are the situations that might be required for normal travel to be resumed with the mainland."

Lee additionally known as on residents to comply with the advice and measures of the federal government, and stated the town will search to boost its vaccination rate. In response to 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 obtained their second dose.

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

"I prolong my honest congratulations to Mr John Lee on his profitable election," she mentioned in a press launch. "The present-term authorities and I will ensure a seamless transition with the Chief Government-elect. We will render all of the assist needed for the idea of workplace by the new term of government."

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