A former police officer and top security official is likely to become the next leader of the financial hub of Hong Kong, underlining Beijing’s continued emphasis on security in the Special Administrative Region despite mounting economic challenges.
The SAR’s current number two official, Chief Secretary John Lee, on Wednesday tendered his resignation as he prepares for next month’s election for the top post of Chief Executive (CE).
Current leader Carrie Lam said on Monday she would not seek a second term, following a tumultuous five years at the helm marked by pro-democracy protests in 2019, a sweeping national security law in 2020 that dealt a crippling blow to political freedoms in Hong Kong, and in the past few months, a devastating wave of COVID-19 infections that overwhelmed hospitals.
Beijing’s emphasis on security in the SAR, observers said, was reflected in its backing of Mr. Lee as the next leader. The central government, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported, told pro-Beijing lawmakers it would not back any other candidate for the May 8 election. The top leader is not voted for by the people of Hong Kong but chosen by a 1,500 member election committee comprised of largely pro-Beijing and industry representatives. Candidates have to first be vetted, under new electoral laws passed last year that tightened Beijing’s control over the process.
Mr. Lee, 64, has served as Chief Secretary under Ms. Lam since June 2021. With a long career in law enforcement, he joined the Hong Kong Police Force in 1977 as a Probationary Inspector, according to his official biography. He rose through the ranks and held top positions in the police force, rising to Secretary of Security in 2017.
In that position, he led the response to the sweeping protests of 2019 that had called for universal suffrage and direct elections to choose the CE. Mr. Lee was strongly critical of the protests, which led to violent clashes with the police and subsequently the passing of sweeping national security legislation by Beijing the following year.
Ms. Lam cited family reasons for her decision to not seek a second term, although many in the SAR saw her prospects of continuing as slim after the disastrous handling of the pandemic this year.
With two years of isolation from the world, Hong Kong in 2020 and 2021 followed a largely successful “zero COVID” strategy seeing only around 12,000 cases and 220 deaths, the lowest for any major city. That strategy fell apart with the Omicron variant leading to a sweeping wave starting in December. Since then, more than 1 million people in a region of 7 million have been infected and more than 8,000 have died, most unvaccinated elderly residents.
Cases that crossed 1 lakh a day have since declined to under 3,000. Businesses in the Asian financial hub, however, are still counting the costs of both COVID-19 and the continuing isolation from the world two years into the pandemic, with the SAR still limiting flights and enforcing mandatory quarantine for arrivals despite the recent wave of cases.
Hong Kong’s economy contracted by 6.5% in 2020 and recovered to grow 6.4% this year. The SAR also faces longer term challenges with the financial centre seeing a recent exodus of professionals because of concerns over both the national security law’s restrictions as well as the continuing travel restrictions.
A number of media organisations have shut down in the past year because of the law, while last week, two U.K. judges serving on the Court of Final Appeal resigned citing the law and the erosion of the judicial independence that made Hong Kong a unique enclave within China under the “one country, two systems” model.
