Profile of former police officer John Lee, the only contender in Hong Kong's leadership race

Record ID: 1671646

  • Title: Profile of former police officer John Lee, the only contender in Hong Kong's leadership race
  • Date: 4th April 2022
  • Summary: On April 6, Lee resigned to run in the leadership election in May, two days after Chief Executive Carrie Lam said she will not seek a second five-year term. If successful, Lee would be the first person with a security background to lead Hong Kong since it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. HONG KONG, CHINA (FILE - APRIL 6, 2022) (AGENCY POOL) LEE ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) HONG KONG FORMER CHIEF SECRETARY, JOHN LEE, SAYING: “This afternoon, I have tendered to the Chief Executive my resignation from the post of the Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative region and requested her to seek the approval of my resignation by the Central People's government under article 48 (5) of the Basic Law.“
  • Embargoed: 18th April 2022 06:53
  • Keywords: Anti-extradition treaty Apple Daily Chief Executive election China Hong Kong Protests
  • Location: HONG KONG, CHINA / INTERNET
  • City: HONG KONG, CHINA / INTERNET
  • Country: Hong Kong
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA004919203042022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: John Lee, Hong Kong's sole candidate to become its next leader, has said the city will start a new chapter under his leadership and that his focus will be on enhancing the city's competitiveness and increasing the housing supply.
    Lee, 64, a career security specialist and former deputy commissioner of police, is expected to be appointed Hong Kong's chief executive in a selection process on May 8, with the backing of Beijing.
    Lee is due to take over as the former British colony's chief executive on July 1, replacing Carrie Lam who is stepping down at the end of her first term. Critics have blamed Lam for mishandling crises including anti-government protests in 2019 and COVID-19.
    Lam previously announced she would not seek a second term, citing family considerations.
    Lee is a former Hong Kong security chief and deputy police commissioner who was known as an anglophile during British colonial rule. In recent years, he has been forceful in enacting China's harsher security regimen - with scores of democrats arrested, jailed or forced into exile, civil society groups forced to disband, and liberal media outlets raided by police and shuttered.
    Hong Kong selects a leader every five years under a process that Beijing oversees behind the scenes. Since the city reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997, there have been four chief executives, all of whom have struggled to balance the democratic aspirations of some residents with the vision of China's Communist Party leaders.
    (Production: Aleksander Solum, Lee Ying Shan)
  • Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
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