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

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

Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Pictures

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

Lee, the only candidate for Hong Kong's prime put up, won 1,416 votes in Sunday's election.

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

The 64-year-old Lee, who was previously 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 particular administrative region of China which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, after the U.Ok. handed over the former colony to Beijing. It is governed below the "one nation, two systems" framework, and has restricted election rights and a largely separate authorized and financial system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went through a serious overhaul final yr after Beijing said that only so-called "patriots" needs to be allowed to control the town.

At a press conference after his election, Lee was requested if his efficiency will be "challenged by the lack of electoral mandate and legitimacy in the eyes of some folks."

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

"Anybody, who according to the legislation is qualified, can participate and run for the election," he added.

Declaring that he garnered more than 1,400 votes, Lee mentioned: "With that variety of support, of course, it encourages me and gives me the robust confidence that my course is agreed and shared by lots of election committee members."

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

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 selection of Lee, a profession police officer who played a leading role within the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that started in 2019, indicates that Beijing's prime precedence for Hong Kong is sustaining political safety reasonably than preserving its position as a dynamic international hub," they mentioned.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a worldwide monetary and business heart to enjoying a narrower function 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 respond to a significant shock."

Consistent 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 try and blunt its unfold. The town tightened restrictions further in February as new cases raged, but began easing slightly in late April.

The election was earlier postponed because of a surge in Covid instances within the Asian financial hub.

I make it a very clear level that I am very conscious of the have to be accessible to the world. And also it is an important thing for Hong Kong to have the ability to resume normal journey with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief govt

At the press conference, Lee was also requested how he will show the worldwide community that Hong Kong is open for business.

"Yes, we have now challenges now due to the necessity to management Covid-19 and among the measures are indeed creating inconvenience," he acknowledged.

"I make it a really clear level that I am very acutely aware of the should be accessible to the world. And likewise it is an important factor for Hong Kong to be able to resume regular travel with the mainland."

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

Lee also called on residents to follow the advice and measures of the federal government, and said the town will seek to spice up its vaccination rate. In response to government statistics, more than 91% of the inhabitants above the age of 12 have received their first vaccine dose as of Saturday, and 85.2% have acquired 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 stated in a press release. "The present-term government and I will ensure a seamless transition with the Chief Govt-elect. We are going to render all the help needed for the belief of office by the brand new time period of government."

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