Hong Kong’s next Chief Executive 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 Images

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

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

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

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

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China which returned to Chinese language rule in 1997, after the U.Ok. handed over the previous colony to Beijing. It's ruled under the "one nation, two techniques" framework, and has restricted election rights and a largely separate legal and financial system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went by means of a significant overhaul last yr after Beijing mentioned that only so-called "patriots" should be allowed to govern the city.

At a press convention after his election, Lee was requested if his performance shall be "challenged by the shortage of electoral mandate and legitimacy within the eyes of some folks."

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

"Anybody, who in keeping with the law is certified, can participate and run for the election," he added.

Stating that he garnered greater than 1,400 votes, Lee mentioned: "With that number of support, in fact, it encourages me and gives me the sturdy confidence that my course 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 govt.

Bloomberg | Getty Images

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

"The choice of Lee, a career police officer who played a number one role in the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that began in 2019, indicates that Beijing's top priority for Hong Kong is sustaining political safety fairly than preserving its role as a dynamic global hub," they mentioned.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a world monetary and enterprise center to playing a narrower position as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts said. "While the risks to political and financial stability are modest, Lee's administration may be poorly outfitted to reply to a significant shock."

Consistent 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 to blunt its spread. 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 within the Asian financial hub.

I make it a really clear level that I'm very conscious of the need to be accessible to the world. And likewise 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 executive

On the press conference, Lee was additionally requested how he will present the worldwide community that Hong Kong is open for business.

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

"I make it a very clear level that I am very aware of the must be accessible to the world. And in addition it is a vital 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 find out what are the situations that will be required for regular journey to be resumed with the mainland."

Lee additionally known as on residents to observe the recommendation and measures of the government, and said town will search to boost its vaccination price. According to government statistics, greater than 91% of the population 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 prolong my honest congratulations to Mr John Lee on his profitable election," she mentioned in a press release. "The current-term government and I'll guarantee a seamless transition with the Chief Govt-elect. We are going to render all of the assist wanted for the idea of office by the new time period of government."

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