Hong Kong's incoming leader heads to China for official nod

ANI
29 May 2022, 08:55 GMT+10

Hong Kong, May 29 (ANI): Hong Kong's next leader John Lee is set to visit China, where he is likely to get the government's official approval and meet President Xi Jinping, media reports said on Saturday.

Lee was the former security chief of Hong Kong who oversaw the crackdown on the democracy movement. He was chosen as the next chief executive by a select group of Beijing loyalists, Al Jazeera reported citing a Hong Kong daily.

China's State Council earlier this month had appointed John Lee as the next chief executive of Hong Kong, after an election in May in which Lee was the sole candidate.

Lee, 64, is scheduled to assume his office on July 1, taking over from current chief executive Carrie Lam.

The event will coincide with the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's transfer from British to Beijing under the "one country, two systems" framework to safeguard Hong Kong's freedoms.

Lee as the head of security oversaw the crackdown, in which officers were seen repeatedly violating internal rules on the use of force.

Hong Kong, under the terms of its 1997 handover to China, was promised autonomy with "Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong." Representative elections are the end goal under the Basic Law which is Hong Kong's mini-constitution.

The Chief Executive in Hong Kong is selected by a handpicked panel of about 1,500 members of the political and business elite known as the election committee. Only one candidate was approved by Beijing this year for the election. (ANI)

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