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

John Lee, a pro-Beijing loyalist who is the one candidate for Hong Kong's high 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 government.

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

About 1,500 members of a largely pro-Beijing election committee forged their votes to pick the brand new chief. Lee only wanted a simple 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 particular administrative region of China which returned to Chinese language rule in 1997, after the U.Ok. handed over the former colony to Beijing. It is governed underneath the "one country, two systems" framework, and has restricted election rights and a largely separate legal and financial system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went by a major overhaul last 12 months after Beijing stated that solely so-called "patriots" must be allowed to manipulate town.

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

"Anybody, who in response to the regulation is certified, can take part and run for the election," he added.

Pointing out that he garnered more than 1,400 votes, Lee mentioned: "With that variety of support, of course, it encourages me and offers me the strong confidence that my course is agreed and shared by loads of election committee members."

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

Bloomberg | Getty Photos

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

"The number of Lee, a career police officer who played a number one position in the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that started in 2019, indicates that Beijing's top precedence for Hong Kong is sustaining political security fairly than preserving its role as a dynamic international hub," they stated.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a global financial and enterprise center to enjoying a narrower function as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts mentioned. "Whereas the risks to political and financial stability are modest, Lee's administration could also be poorly geared up to respond to a significant 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 attempt to blunt its unfold. The city tightened restrictions further in February as new cases raged, but began easing barely in late April.

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

I make it a really clear point that I am very acutely aware of the have to be accessible to the world. And also it is a crucial factor for Hong Kong to be able to resume normal travel with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief government

On the press conference, Lee was also requested how he will present the worldwide group that Hong Kong is open for enterprise.

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

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

He said he can be talking to his counterparts in Beijing "to search out out what are the situations that shall be required for regular travel to be resumed with the mainland."

Lee additionally called on citizens to observe the recommendation and measures of the federal government, and said town will seek to spice up its vaccination fee. According to authorities statistics, greater 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 govt Lam congratulated Lee on Sunday.

"I prolong my honest congratulations to Mr John Lee on his successful election," she said in a press launch. "The present-term government and I will ensure a seamless transition with the Chief Executive-elect. We are going to render all the support needed for the idea of workplace by the new term of presidency."

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