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

John Lee, a pro-Beijing loyalist who is the only candidate for Hong Kong's prime submit, has been elected to be Hong Kong's subsequent chief govt.

Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Images

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

Lee, the one candidate for Hong Kong's top 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 the new leader. Lee only wanted a simple majority to win.

The 64-year-old Lee, who was previously Hong Kong's chief secretary, will begin his five-year term on July 1, changing outgoing Chief Government 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 previous colony to Beijing. It is governed below the "one country, two systems" framework, and has restricted election rights and a largely separate legal and economic system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went by means of a major overhaul final yr after Beijing mentioned that only so-called "patriots" ought to be allowed to govern the town.

At a press conference after his election, Lee was requested if his performance will likely be "challenged by the lack 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."

"Anybody, who in accordance with the legislation is qualified, can take part and run for the election," he added.

Declaring that he garnered greater than 1,400 votes, Lee said: "With that number of help, in fact, it encourages me and gives me the strong confidence that my direction is agreed and shared by lots of election committee members."

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

Bloomberg | Getty Photographs

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

"The number of Lee, a profession police officer who played a number one position in the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that began in 2019, indicates that Beijing's top precedence for Hong Kong is maintaining political security rather than preserving its function as a dynamic international hub," they said.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a worldwide financial and enterprise heart to enjoying a narrower role as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts said. "Whereas the risks to political and monetary stability are modest, Lee's administration may be poorly outfitted to respond to a significant shock."

According to 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 and blunt its unfold. The town tightened restrictions further in February as new circumstances raged, but started easing barely in late April.

The election was earlier postponed attributable to a surge in Covid cases within 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 also it is a vital factor for Hong Kong to be able to resume regular travel with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief executive

At the press convention, Lee was additionally requested how he'll show the international community that Hong Kong is open for business.

"Sure, we have now challenges now because of the need to control Covid-19 and among the measures are indeed creating inconvenience," he acknowledged.

"I make it a very clear point that I am very aware of the need to be accessible to the world. And in addition it is a crucial factor for Hong Kong to be able to resume regular journey with the mainland."

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

Lee also called on residents to comply with the advice and measures of the government, and said town will seek to boost its vaccination charge. In keeping with government 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 received their second dose.

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

"I prolong my sincere congratulations to Mr John Lee on his successful election," she mentioned in a press launch. "The current-term authorities and I will guarantee a seamless transition with the Chief Govt-elect. We will render all of the assist needed for the assumption of workplace by the brand new term of government."

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that John Lee received 1,416 votes in Hong Kong's chief govt election. An earlier model of the story misrepresented that determine.