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

John Lee, a pro-Beijing loyalist who is the one candidate for Hong Kong's top put up, has been elected to be Hong Kong's subsequent chief govt.

Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Pictures

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

Lee, the one 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 cast their votes to pick out 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 term on July 1, changing outgoing Chief Govt 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 ruled under the "one country, two systems" framework, and has limited election rights and a largely separate authorized and financial system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went by means of a serious overhaul final yr after Beijing said that solely so-called "patriots" ought to be allowed to control town.

At a press conference after his election, Lee was requested if his performance will likely be "challenged by the shortage of electoral mandate and legitimacy within the eyes of some individuals."

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

"Anyone, who in line with the regulation is qualified, can participate and run for the election," he added.

Declaring that he garnered more than 1,400 votes, Lee stated: "With that number of assist, in fact, it encourages me and offers me the strong confidence that my path is agreed and shared by lots of election committee members."

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

Bloomberg | Getty Photos

In a observe final week, analysts at Eurasia Group weighed in on Beijing's selection of Lee as the subsequent Hong Kong chief.

"The selection of Lee, a profession police officer who performed a number one role in the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that started in 2019, indicates that Beijing's prime priority for Hong Kong is maintaining political safety relatively than preserving its role as a dynamic world hub," they stated.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a worldwide monetary and business middle to taking part in a narrower function 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 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 try to blunt its spread. The town tightened restrictions further in February as new circumstances raged, but started easing barely in late April.

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

I make it a very clear level that I am very 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 travel with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief govt

At the press convention, Lee was also asked how he'll present the worldwide community that Hong Kong is open for enterprise.

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

"I make it a really clear point that I'm very acutely aware of the need to be accessible to the world. And likewise it is an important thing for Hong Kong to be able to resume regular travel with the mainland."

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

Lee additionally called on citizens to comply with the recommendation and measures of the federal government, and mentioned town will seek to boost its vaccination charge. In response to authorities statistics, more than 91% of the inhabitants above the age of 12 have acquired 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 lengthen my honest congratulations to Mr John Lee on his successful election," she stated in a press launch. "The current-term government and I will ensure a seamless transition with the Chief Executive-elect. We will render all the help wanted for the idea of workplace by the brand new term of presidency."

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