Hong Kong chief executive election 2022: John Lee says no need to revisit extradition bill, as he focuses on ‘sense of gain’ for public
- Lee borrows ‘sense of gain’ phrase from Chinese president, says his focus on results would mean ‘public can see the outcomes sooner’
- Chief executive hopeful makes 10 campaign stops in nine hours as he meets with pro-Beijing associations and political parties
Chief executive hopeful John Lee Ka-chiu has said there is no need to revisit the extradition bill which sparked social unrest in Hong Kong in 2019, adding his prospective administration would focus on more important priorities.
The former chief secretary also explained his focus on being “result oriented” was aimed at giving the public a “sense of gain”, borrowing a phrase first used by President Xi Jinping as continued off his election campaign with visits to major pro-establishment groups on Monday.
Lee had a packed schedule on Monday, with a total of 10 campaign stops across the city within a nine-hour window as he continued to lobby for support a day after securing enough nominations to officially stand in the leadership election on May 8.
During one campaign stop, a reporter asked the former No 2 official if he would seek to reintroduce the previously withdrawn extradition bill, which would have allowed the extradition of criminals to jurisdictions with which the city had lacked a treaty, including mainland China.
As security minister in 2019, Lee was instrumental in the introduction and lobbying of the bill.