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

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

Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Pictures

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

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

About 1,500 members of a largely pro-Beijing election committee solid their votes to pick out the new chief. Lee only wanted a easy majority to win.

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

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

Hong Kong's electoral system went via a serious overhaul final yr after Beijing stated that only so-called "patriots" needs to be allowed to manipulate the city.

At a press convention after his election, Lee was asked if his efficiency will likely be "challenged by the shortage of electoral mandate and legitimacy in the eyes of some individuals."

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

"Anybody, who in accordance with the regulation is qualified, can participate and run for the election," he added.

Pointing out that he garnered more than 1,400 votes, Lee mentioned: "With that variety of support, after all, it encourages me and provides me the sturdy confidence that my path is agreed and shared by numerous election committee members."

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

Bloomberg | Getty Images

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

"The number of Lee, a career police officer who played a leading position within the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that began in 2019, indicates that Beijing's high precedence for Hong Kong is maintaining political safety moderately than preserving its role as a dynamic international hub," they stated.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a worldwide monetary and enterprise center to enjoying a narrower function as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts stated. "Whereas the risks to political and monetary stability are modest, Lee's administration could also be poorly outfitted to answer a major 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 attempt to blunt its unfold. Town tightened restrictions further in February as new cases raged, however began easing slightly in late April.

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

I make it a really clear point that I am very aware of the should be accessible to the world. And in addition it is a crucial thing for Hong Kong to be able to resume normal journey with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief executive

On the press convention, Lee was additionally asked how he'll show the worldwide community that Hong Kong is open for enterprise.

"Sure, we now have challenges now because of the necessity to control 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 conscious of the should be accessible to the world. And also it is an important factor for Hong Kong to be able to resume regular travel with the mainland."

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

Lee also referred to as on citizens to observe the recommendation and measures of the government, and stated the city will seek to boost its vaccination price. In accordance with authorities statistics, greater than 91% of the population above the age of 12 have obtained their first vaccine dose as of Saturday, and 85.2% have obtained their second dose.

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

"I prolong my honest congratulations to Mr John Lee on his successful election," she stated in a press launch. "The present-term authorities and I'll ensure a seamless transition with the Chief Govt-elect. We are going to render all the support needed for the idea of office by the brand new term of presidency."

Correction: This story has been up to date to mirror that John Lee won 1,416 votes in Hong Kong's chief government election. An earlier model of the story misrepresented that determine.