Hong Kong’s subsequent Chief Executive shall be Beijing loyalist John Lee

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

Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Photos

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

Lee, the one candidate for Hong Kong's high 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 out the brand new chief. Lee solely wanted a simple majority to win.

The 64-year-old Lee, who was previously Hong Kong's chief secretary, will begin his five-year time period on July 1, replacing outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China which returned to Chinese language rule in 1997, after the U.K. handed over the former colony to Beijing. It is governed underneath the "one country, two systems" framework, and has restricted election rights and a principally separate authorized and financial system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went via a significant overhaul final yr after Beijing said that solely so-called "patriots" must be allowed to control the town.

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

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

"Anyone, who based on the regulation is certified, can participate and run for the election," he added.

Stating that he garnered greater than 1,400 votes, Lee mentioned: "With that number of help, in fact, it encourages me and offers me the sturdy confidence that my direction is agreed and shared by quite a lot of election committee members."

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

Bloomberg | Getty Pictures

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

"The choice of Lee, a profession police officer who played a number one role in the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that started in 2019, signifies that Beijing's high priority for Hong Kong is sustaining political safety slightly than preserving its role as a dynamic international hub," they said.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a worldwide financial and enterprise middle to playing a narrower function as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts mentioned. "While the risks to political and financial stability are modest, Lee's administration may be poorly geared up to respond to a significant shock."

According to 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 additional in February as new circumstances raged, however started easing barely in late April.

The election was earlier postponed due to a surge in Covid circumstances in the Asian financial hub.

I make it a really clear level 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 have the ability to resume regular travel with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief government

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

"Sure, we've got challenges now due to the need to control Covid-19 and among the measures are certainly creating inconvenience," he acknowledged.

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

He stated he will be speaking to his counterparts in Beijing "to find out what are the situations that might be required for regular travel to be resumed with the mainland."

Lee additionally known as on residents to follow the recommendation and measures of the government, and said the town will seek to spice up its vaccination charge. According to authorities statistics, more than 91% of the population above the age of 12 have obtained 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 lengthen my sincere congratulations to Mr John Lee on his successful election," she stated in a press release. "The present-term government and I'll guarantee a seamless transition with the Chief Executive-elect. We'll render all of the support needed for the belief of office by the new time period of presidency."

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