John Lee Named Hong Kong's Chief Executive-Elect

John Lee pledged to strengthen the city's security and boost integration with mainland China, after he emerged victorious from a rubber-stamp Chief Executive election.

• Lee was the sole candidate to succeed outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam and garnered 99.2% of votes cast by the Election Committee, a body overhauled in 2021 to ensure greater influence of pro-Beijing forces.
• Lee is known as a committed Beijing loyalist and pushed for the adoption of the controversial extradition bill as well as oversaw the violent crackdown of subsequent protests during his tenure as Secretary for Security.
• The former police officer and Hong Kong's security chief will take office on July 1. He vowed to make forming a new Cabinet his priority in the interim, while pledging to increase Hong Kong's general competitiveness and pursue greater integration with the Greater Bay Area.
• China State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office issued a lengthy statement lauding the election of Lee to the top job in Hong Kong, which was interpreted as a sign of Beijing's confidence in Lee.