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

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

Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Photos

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

Lee, the only candidate for Hong Kong's high publish, won 1,416 votes in Sunday's election.

About 1,500 members of a largely pro-Beijing election committee solid their votes to select the brand new chief. Lee solely wanted a easy 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 particular administrative region of China which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, after the U.Okay. handed over the former colony to Beijing. It's governed below the "one country, two techniques" framework, and has limited election rights and a mostly separate authorized and economic system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went by means of a major overhaul last 12 months after Beijing said that only so-called "patriots" ought to be allowed to govern the town.

At a press convention after his election, Lee was requested if his efficiency might 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 legal guidelines of Hong Kong."

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

Mentioning that he garnered greater than 1,400 votes, Lee mentioned: "With that variety of assist, after all, it encourages me and provides me the robust confidence that my direction is agreed and shared by a lot of election committee members."

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

Bloomberg | Getty Pictures

In a observe final week, analysts at Eurasia Group weighed in on Beijing's choice of Lee as the following Hong Kong leader.

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

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a global financial and enterprise heart to enjoying a narrower function as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts said. "While the dangers to political and financial stability are modest, Lee's administration could also be poorly outfitted to respond to a major shock."

In keeping 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 additional in February as new instances raged, however started easing slightly in late April.

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

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

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief government

At the press convention, Lee was also requested how he'll show the worldwide group that Hong Kong is open for enterprise.

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

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

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

Lee additionally known as on citizens to follow the advice and measures of the federal government, and said town will search to spice up its vaccination fee. In keeping with 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 obtained their second dose.

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

"I extend my sincere congratulations to Mr John Lee on his successful election," she mentioned in a press launch. "The present-term government and I will guarantee a seamless transition with the Chief Government-elect. We will render all the support needed for the belief of workplace by the brand new time period of presidency."

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