Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing's commitment to follow the 'one country, two systems' governing principle for Hong Kong on Friday, saying it is the 'best arrangement' to maintain the city's prosperity and stability.
Lee, a former security minister, became the city’s fifth chief executive on July 1. In an election in May, Lee won over 99% of the vote from a committee stacked with mostly pro-Beijing members as the race’s sole candidate.
Lee’s administration has reopened the city without causing major problems in the public health care system amid a rise in COVID-19 cases, and it has also worked on other health care and housing issues, said John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong.
But creating long-term stability requires the government to engage civil society, which the authorities have “hollowed out in their headlong rush for security,” Burns said.Burns said Lee, appointed partly for his loyalty, has appeared too eager to push Hong Kong’s problems to the central government, pointing to his
that could effectively block pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai from hiring a British lawyer. “This could bode ill for maintaining Hong Kong’s autonomy,” Burns said.Lee’s predecessor Carrie Lam left after five tumultuous years that saw the city rocked by massive pro-democracy protests in 2019, a subsequent political crackdown that crushed dissent, and a coronavirus outbreak that killed thousands of people and hammered the city’s economy.
Regina Ip, a leading member of the Executive Council, Hong Kong’s Cabinet, said Lee puts more emphasis on teamwork than Lam did and is more willing to take advice. Ip also served on the council during Lam’s term.
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