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

John Lee, a Beijing follower, has actually been chosen to be Hong Kong’s next president.

Lee, the only prospect for Hong Kong’s leading post, won more than 1,416 votes in Sunday’s election.

About 1,500 members of a mostly pro-Beijing election committee cast their votes to pick the brand-new leader. Lee just required a basic bulk 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 outbound Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

Hong Kong is an unique administrative area of China which went back to Chinese guideline in 1997, when the U.K. turned over the previous nest toBeijing It is governed under the “one country, two systems” structure, and has actually restricted election rights and a mainly different legal and financial system.

At an interview after his election, Lee was asked if his efficiency will be “challenged by the lack of electoral mandate and legitimacy in the eyes of some people.”

His reply was that his election was “run in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong.”

“Anybody, who according to the law is qualified, can take part and run for the election,” he included.

Pointing out that he gathered more than 1,400 votes, Lee stated: “With that number of support, of course, it encourages me and gives me the strong confidence that my direction is agreed and shared by a lot of election committee members.”

In a note recently, experts at Eurasia Group weighed in on Beijing’s option of Lee as the next Hong Kong leader.

“The selection of Lee, a career police officer who played a leading role in the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests that began in 2019, indicates that Beijing’s top priority for Hong Kong is maintaining political security rather than preserving its role as a dynamic global hub,” they stated.

“Lee’s appointment will reinforce Hong Kong’s shift from being a global financial and business center to playing a narrower role as a capital gateway for China,” Eurasia’s experts stated. “While the risks to political and financial stability are modest, Lee’s administration may be poorly equipped to respond to a major shock.”

In line with China’s Covid-19 policy, Hong Kong has a so-called “dynamic zero” method for the infection and enforced stringent procedures in January in an effort to blunt its spread. The city tightened up constraints even more in February as brand-new cases raved, however started relieving somewhat in late April.

The election was previously held off due to a rise in Covid cases in the Asian monetary center.

At journalism conference, Lee was likewise asked how he will reveal the worldwide neighborhood that Hong Kong is open for organization.

“Yes, we have challenges now because of the need to control Covid-19 and some of the measures are indeed creating inconvenience,” he acknowledged.

“I make it a very clear point that I’m very conscious of the need to be accessible to the world. And also it is an important thing for Hong Kong to be able to resume normal travel with the mainland.”

He stated he will be speaking to his equivalents in Beijing “to find out what are the conditions that will be required for normal travel to be resumed with the mainland.”

Lee likewise gotten in touch with people to follow the guidance and procedures of the federal government, and stated the city will look for to improve its vaccination rate. According to federal government stats, more than 91% of the population above the age of 12 have actually gotten their very first vaccine dosage since Saturday, and 85.2% have actually gotten their 2nd dosage.

Hong Kong’s outbound president Lam praised Lee on Sunday.

“I extend my sincere congratulations to Mr John Lee on his successful election,” she stated in a news release. “The present-term government and I will ensure a seamless transition with the Chief Executive-elect. We will render all the support needed for the assumption of office by the new term of government.”