HK’s next leader is backed by pro-Beijing elites

Hong Kong – Hong Kong’s (HK) Leader-in-Waiting John Lee was approved by a committee of pro-Beijing loyalists for the top post in the city on Sunday as the financial center seeks to re-establish itself after years of political unrest.

Mr Lee, the sole candidate, received a vote of 1,416 members of the pro-Beijing election committee on Sunday morning, giving him the majority needed to be the next leader of Hong Kong. Eight voted not to support him.

Despite China’s promise to one day give full democracy to the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, very few of the city’s 7.4 million people have a say in choosing their leader.

Security was tight around the venue, with police blocking a small group of protesters.

“We believe we represent a lot of people in Hong Kong to oppose this China-style, single-candidate election,” said Chan Po-ying, a protester in the League of Social Democrats, holding a banner demanding full democracy.

Mr Lee, Hong Kong’s former secretary of state for security, forcibly enforced China’s strict measures under a national security law that was used to arrest many democrats, dismantle civil society groups and shut down liberal media outlets, such as Apple Daily And Stand news.

He vowed to re-establish Hong Kong as an international city and strengthen its competitiveness, amid concerns among some Western governments, including the United States, that independence and the rule of law would be undermined by security legislation imposed by Beijing in 2020.

Chinese authorities say the law is necessary to restore stability in 2019 after pro-democracy protests.

Some critics say Mr Lee’s efforts to reintroduce Hong Kong internationally could be affected by US sanctions imposed on him in 2020, which Washington said had a role to play in “forcing, arresting, detaining or detaining people”. Security Act.

The owner of YouTube is Alphabet, Inc. It said it had removed Lee Campaign’s YouTube account in order to comply with US sanctions.

Mr Lee, who said it would be a priority for Hong Kong to enact more national security laws, often said Hong Kong was a law-abiding society and everyone must abide by the law.

Among his other priorities, Mr Lee said he would restructure the government to strengthen policy-making and seek to increase housing supply in one of the world’s most expensive real estate markets. – Reuters