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

John Lee, a pro-Beijing loyalist who's the one candidate for Hong Kong's top publish, 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 next chief government.

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

About 1,500 members of a largely pro-Beijing election committee forged their votes to pick out the new leader. Lee solely needed a easy majority to win.

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

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, after the U.K. handed over the former colony to Beijing. It's ruled below the "one country, two techniques" framework, and has limited election rights and a largely separate authorized and financial system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went by way of a significant overhaul final yr after Beijing mentioned that solely so-called "patriots" must be allowed to govern town.

At a press conference after his election, Lee was asked if his performance will probably be "challenged by the lack of electoral mandate and legitimacy in the eyes of some people."

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

"Anyone, who in response to the law is certified, can participate and run for the election," he added.

Pointing out that he garnered more than 1,400 votes, Lee stated: "With that variety of support, in fact, it encourages me and offers me the robust confidence that my course is agreed and shared by numerous election committee members."

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

Bloomberg | Getty Photos

In a observe last week, analysts at Eurasia Group weighed in on Beijing's selection of Lee as the next Hong Kong chief.

"The choice of Lee, a profession police officer who played a leading function in the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that started in 2019, indicates that Beijing's prime priority for Hong Kong is maintaining political security somewhat than preserving its position as a dynamic global hub," they mentioned.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a world financial and enterprise middle to playing a narrower function as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts mentioned. "While the dangers to political and monetary stability are modest, Lee's administration could also be poorly equipped to reply to a major shock."

In keeping 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 city tightened restrictions additional in February as new instances raged, however started easing barely in late April.

The election was earlier postponed due to a surge in Covid instances within the Asian monetary hub.

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

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief govt

At the press conference, Lee was additionally requested how he will present the worldwide group that Hong Kong is open for enterprise.

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

"I make it a really clear point that I'm very acutely aware 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 normal journey with the mainland."

He mentioned he will likely be speaking to his counterparts in Beijing "to find out what are the conditions that shall be required for normal journey to be resumed with the mainland."

Lee additionally known as on citizens to comply with the recommendation and measures of the government, and stated town will search to boost its vaccination fee. In line with authorities statistics, more than 91% of the inhabitants above the age of 12 have received their first vaccine dose as of Saturday, and 85.2% have acquired their second dose.

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

"I lengthen my honest congratulations to Mr John Lee on his profitable election," she stated in a press launch. "The present-term government and I will guarantee a seamless transition with the Chief Govt-elect. We will render all the help needed for the idea of office by the new time period of government."

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