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

John Lee, a pro-Beijing loyalist who is the one candidate for Hong Kong's prime publish, has been elected to be Hong Kong's subsequent chief executive.

Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Photographs

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

Lee, the only candidate for Hong Kong's high post, won 1,416 votes in Sunday's election.

About 1,500 members of a largely pro-Beijing election committee forged 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 time period on July 1, changing outgoing Chief Government Carrie Lam.

Hong Kong is a particular administrative region of China which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, after the U.Okay. handed over the previous colony to Beijing. It's governed below the "one nation, two programs" framework, and has restricted election rights and a mostly separate authorized and financial system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went through a serious overhaul final 12 months after Beijing mentioned that solely so-called "patriots" should be allowed to govern the city.

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

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

"Anybody, who in keeping with the law is certified, can participate and run for the election," he added.

Mentioning that he garnered greater than 1,400 votes, Lee said: "With that number of support, in fact, it encourages me and offers me the strong confidence that my path is agreed and shared by a whole lot of election committee members."

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

Bloomberg | Getty Pictures

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

"The selection 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 top precedence for Hong Kong is sustaining political security rather than preserving its function as a dynamic global hub," they stated.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a world financial and enterprise center to playing a narrower position as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts mentioned. "While the risks to political and financial stability are modest, Lee's administration may be poorly equipped to reply to a serious shock."

According to China's Covid-19 coverage, Hong Kong has a so-called "dynamic zero" strategy for the virus and imposed strict measures in January in an attempt to blunt its unfold. The city tightened restrictions additional in February as new cases raged, however began easing slightly in late April.

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

I make it a very clear point that I am very acutely aware of the have to be accessible to the world. And in addition it is a vital factor for Hong Kong to be able to resume regular travel with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief government

At the press convention, Lee was also asked how he'll present the worldwide neighborhood that Hong Kong is open for business.

"Sure, we have now challenges now because of the necessity to management Covid-19 and among the measures are indeed creating inconvenience," he acknowledged.

"I make it a really clear point that I'm very conscious of the need to be accessible to the world. And also it is an important thing for Hong Kong to have the ability to resume regular journey with the mainland."

He stated he can be speaking to his counterparts in Beijing "to search out out what are the situations that will be required for regular journey to be resumed with the mainland."

Lee also referred to as on residents to follow the recommendation and measures of the federal government, and stated the city will search to boost its vaccination rate. Based on authorities statistics, greater than 91% of the inhabitants above the age of 12 have obtained their first vaccine dose as of Saturday, and 85.2% have received their second dose.

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

"I prolong my honest congratulations to Mr John Lee on his profitable election," she said in a press launch. "The present-term government and I will guarantee a seamless transition with the Chief Government-elect. We'll render all the help wanted for the idea of office by the brand new term of presidency."

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