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

John Lee, a pro-Beijing loyalist who is the one candidate for Hong Kong's top publish, has been elected to be Hong Kong's next chief government.

Paul Yeung | Bloomberg | Getty Images

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

Lee, the one candidate for Hong Kong's top 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 chief. Lee only 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 Govt Carrie Lam.

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, after the U.K. handed over the previous colony to Beijing. It is ruled under the "one nation, two methods" framework, and has restricted election rights and a largely separate legal and economic system.

Hong Kong's electoral system went by a serious overhaul last year after Beijing stated that only so-called "patriots" must be allowed to manipulate the town.

At a press convention after his election, Lee was asked if his performance shall be "challenged by the shortage 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."

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

Mentioning that he garnered more than 1,400 votes, Lee mentioned: "With that number of help, of course, it encourages me and gives 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 the town's subsequent chief executive.

Bloomberg | Getty Pictures

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

"The selection of Lee, a profession police officer who played a leading role in the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that started in 2019, indicates that Beijing's high precedence for Hong Kong is maintaining political security somewhat than preserving its function as a dynamic international hub," they mentioned.

"Lee's appointment will reinforce Hong Kong's shift from being a global monetary and business center to playing a narrower position as a capital gateway for China," Eurasia's analysts stated. "Whereas the risks to political and monetary stability are modest, Lee's administration could also be poorly geared up to reply to a significant shock."

In step 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 attempt to blunt its unfold. The town tightened restrictions further in February as new instances raged, but began easing slightly in late April.

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

I make it a really clear level that I am very acutely 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 regular journey with the mainland.

John Lee

Hong Kong's incoming chief govt

At the press conference, Lee was additionally requested how he'll present the international community that Hong Kong is open for enterprise.

"Sure, we now have challenges now due to the need to control Covid-19 and a number of the measures are certainly creating inconvenience," he acknowledged.

"I make it a very clear point that I am very acutely aware of the have to be accessible to the world. And also it is a vital factor for Hong Kong to be able to resume regular journey with the mainland."

He stated he will probably be talking to his counterparts in Beijing "to seek out out what are the conditions that shall be required for normal travel to be resumed with the mainland."

Lee also known as on residents to observe the recommendation and measures of the federal government, and said the city will search to spice up its vaccination rate. In keeping with authorities statistics, greater than 91% of the population above the age of 12 have acquired their first vaccine dose as of Saturday, and 85.2% have obtained their second dose.

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

"I extend my sincere congratulations to Mr John Lee on his successful election," she stated in a press launch. "The current-term authorities and I will guarantee a seamless transition with the Chief Govt-elect. We'll render all the assist wanted for the idea of workplace by the new term of presidency."

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.