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

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

Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Photos

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

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

About 1,500 members of a largely pro-Beijing election committee cast their votes to select the brand new chief. 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 time period 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.Okay. handed over the former colony to Beijing. It's governed below the "one country, two techniques" framework, and has limited election rights and a principally separate authorized and financial system.

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

At a press convention after his election, Lee was asked if his efficiency can 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 legal guidelines of Hong Kong."

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

Pointing out that he garnered greater than 1,400 votes, Lee mentioned: "With that number of help, after all, it encourages me and gives me the strong confidence that my route is agreed and shared by a number of election committee members."

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

Bloomberg | Getty Photos

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

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

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a global financial and business center to playing a narrower role as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts mentioned. "While the dangers to political and financial stability are modest, Lee's administration could also be poorly equipped to reply to a serious shock."

In step 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 to blunt its spread. The town tightened restrictions additional in February as new cases raged, however began easing barely in late April.

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

I make it a really clear level that I'm very aware of the must be accessible to the world. And in addition it is an important thing for Hong Kong to have the ability to resume regular journey with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief govt

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

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

"I make it a really clear level that I'm very aware of the should be accessible to the world. And also it is an important thing for Hong Kong to be able to resume regular journey with the mainland."

He said he will probably be talking to his counterparts in Beijing "to find out what are the conditions that will likely be required for normal travel to be resumed with the mainland."

Lee additionally called on citizens to follow the recommendation and measures of the federal government, and said the town will search to boost its vaccination rate. According to authorities statistics, more than 91% of the population above the age of 12 have received 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 extend my honest congratulations to Mr John Lee on his successful election," she said in a press launch. "The present-term government and I will guarantee a seamless transition with the Chief Govt-elect. We'll render all of the support needed for the assumption of office by the brand new term of government."

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