Hong Kong’s subsequent Chief Govt will be Beijing loyalist John Lee

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

Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Images

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

Lee, the one candidate for Hong Kong's high put up, won 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 wanted 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.Ok. handed over the former colony to Beijing. It's governed below the "one nation, two systems" framework, and has limited election rights and a principally separate legal and economic system.

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

At a press conference after his election, Lee was requested if his performance might be "challenged by the dearth of electoral mandate and legitimacy within 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 qualified, can participate and run for the election," he added.

Mentioning that he garnered more than 1,400 votes, Lee stated: "With that variety of help, after all, it encourages me and provides me the robust confidence that my route is agreed and shared by quite a lot of election committee members."

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

Bloomberg | Getty Photos

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

"The number of Lee, a profession police officer who played a number one position in the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that started in 2019, signifies that Beijing's high precedence for Hong Kong is sustaining political security slightly than preserving its position as a dynamic international hub," they stated.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a global financial and business heart to taking part in a narrower role as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts stated. "Whereas the risks to political and financial stability are modest, Lee's administration could also be poorly geared up to respond to a significant shock."

In keeping with China's Covid-19 coverage, Hong Kong has a so-called "dynamic zero" technique for the virus and imposed strict measures in January in an try and blunt its unfold. The town tightened restrictions additional in February as new cases raged, but started easing slightly in late April.

The election was earlier postponed resulting from a surge in Covid instances within the Asian financial hub.

I make it a very clear point that I am very conscious of the should be accessible to the world. And also it is an important factor for Hong Kong to be able to resume normal journey with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief executive

At the press conference, Lee was also requested how he will show the worldwide neighborhood that Hong Kong is open for business.

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

"I make it a very clear point that I'm very conscious of the should be accessible to the world. And also it is a crucial factor for Hong Kong to be able to resume normal journey with the mainland."

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

Lee also known as on residents to follow the recommendation and measures of the federal government, and stated town will search to boost its vaccination rate. Based on government 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 lengthen my sincere congratulations to Mr John Lee on his successful election," she stated in a press release. "The present-term government and I'll ensure a seamless transition with the Chief Govt-elect. We'll render all of the assist needed for the assumption of workplace by the brand new term of presidency."

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.