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

John Lee, a pro-Beijing loyalist who is the only candidate for Hong Kong's top 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 next chief govt.

Lee, the one candidate for Hong Kong's high publish, received 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 brand new leader. Lee only wanted a simple 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 Government Carrie Lam.

Hong Kong is a particular administrative region of China which returned to Chinese language rule in 1997, after the U.Ok. handed over the previous colony to Beijing. It is governed underneath the "one nation, two methods" framework, and has restricted election rights and a mostly separate legal and financial system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went via a major overhaul final year after Beijing said that only so-called "patriots" must be allowed to manipulate the town.

At a press conference after his election, Lee was asked if his efficiency shall be "challenged by the dearth 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 accordance with the regulation is certified, can participate and run for the election," he added.

Pointing out that he garnered more than 1,400 votes, Lee said: "With that variety of help, in fact, it encourages me and gives me the strong confidence that my direction is agreed and shared by a whole lot of election committee members."

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

Bloomberg | Getty Images

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

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

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a world monetary and enterprise middle to taking part in a narrower role as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts stated. "Whereas the dangers to political and monetary stability are modest, Lee's administration may be poorly geared up to answer a significant shock."

Consistent 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 attempt to blunt its unfold. Town tightened restrictions additional in February as new instances raged, however began easing barely in late April.

The election was earlier postponed on account of a surge in Covid cases 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 an important thing for Hong Kong to have the ability to resume normal 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 international neighborhood that Hong Kong is open for enterprise.

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

"I make it a really clear level that I am very acutely aware of the need to be accessible to the world. And likewise it is an important thing for Hong Kong to have the ability to resume normal journey with the mainland."

He stated he will likely be talking to his counterparts in Beijing "to find out what are the situations that can be required for regular travel to be resumed with the mainland."

Lee additionally known as on citizens to comply with the advice and measures of the federal government, and said the city will search to spice up its vaccination fee. Based on 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 executive Lam congratulated Lee on Sunday.

"I extend my honest congratulations to Mr John Lee on his profitable election," she mentioned in a press release. "The present-term government and I will guarantee a seamless transition with the Chief Government-elect. We'll render all the help needed for the belief of office by the brand new time period of presidency."

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