Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam shrugs off Beijing’s silence over decision to forgo election bid, avoids naming new No 2
- Sharp contrast between Beijing’s response to city leader Carrie Lam’s decision and reaction to departure of her predecessor Leung Chun-ying in 2016
- Lam stops short of naming new chief secretary to replace John Lee, says central government to decide
Hong Kong’s incumbent leader has shrugged off Beijing’s rare silence over her choice not to seek re-election, saying that she did not need any official responses from the central government regarding her decision.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also stopped short of naming who would take up the post of chief secretary until the end of her term, after former No 2 official John Lee Ka-chiu resigned a day earlier to join Hong Kong’s leadership race.
Instead, Lam said that she would leave the decision to the central government.
Beijing’s response to Lam’s move has contrasted with its reaction when her predecessor Leung Chun-ying announced he would not seek a second term due to “family reasons”.
Half an hour after Leung revealed his decision on December 10, 2016, the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) and Beijing’s liaison office in the city issued separate statements expressing “deep regret” over the move and recognised his contributions to “safeguarding national sovereignty and security”.
Five years later, the two mainland agencies have remained silent after Lam said on Monday that she would not seek re-election.