Hong Kong’s next Chief Govt can 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 subsequent chief executive.

Lee, the one 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 the new leader. Lee solely needed a simple majority to win.

The 64-year-old Lee, who was previously Hong Kong's chief secretary, will start his five-year term on July 1, replacing 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 previous colony to Beijing. It is ruled below the "one nation, two methods" framework, and has restricted election rights and a principally separate authorized and financial system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went by means of a major overhaul last 12 months after Beijing stated that only so-called "patriots" must be allowed to control the city.

At a press convention after his election, Lee was asked 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 laws of Hong Kong."

"Anyone, who based on the law is qualified, can take part and run for the election," he added.

Stating that he garnered more than 1,400 votes, Lee said: "With that number of assist, in fact, it encourages me and provides me the strong confidence that my direction is agreed and shared by plenty of election committee members."

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

Bloomberg | Getty Images

In a note last week, analysts at Eurasia Group weighed in on Beijing's selection of Lee as the subsequent Hong Kong leader.

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

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a global financial and enterprise heart to playing a narrower position as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts said. "While the risks to political and monetary stability are modest, Lee's administration could also be poorly outfitted to respond to a serious shock."

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

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

I make it a really clear point that I am very acutely aware of the must be accessible to the world. And in addition it is an important factor for Hong Kong to be able to resume regular journey with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief executive

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

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

"I make it a very clear point that I am very aware of the should be accessible to the world. And also it is an important thing for Hong Kong to have the ability to resume regular travel with the mainland."

He mentioned he will be talking to his counterparts in Beijing "to search out out what are the conditions that will be required for regular travel to be resumed with the mainland."

Lee also known as on citizens to comply with the recommendation and measures of the government, and mentioned the town will search to boost its vaccination rate. In response to government statistics, greater than 91% of the inhabitants 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 executive Lam congratulated Lee on Sunday.

"I extend my honest congratulations to Mr John Lee on his successful election," she mentioned in a press launch. "The present-term authorities and I will ensure a seamless transition with the Chief Government-elect. We are going to render all of the help needed for the idea of office by the new term of presidency."

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