Chinese premier formally approves appointment of John Lee as Hong Kong’s next leader ahead of July 1 swearing-in ceremony
- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang calls on incoming chief executive to ‘turn a new chapter’ for ‘one country, two systems’
- Former No 2 official says he is ‘most grateful’ and ‘deeply honoured’ by the premier’s approval.
Li signed the approval document at a State Council meeting broadcast on state media CCTV during its prime-time evening broadcast.
The premier was quoted as saying he “believed Lee Ka-chiu, upon taking the post, would lead the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and all sectors in Hong Kong to work together to create a new economic situation with a pragmatic and enterprising attitude”.
Li continued by saying the incoming leader should “turn a new chapter for one country, two systems”, a reference to the mechanism that defines Hong Kong’s relationship with the rest of the nation.
The central government would continue to enforce the dual system “accurately and resolutely”, allowing Hong Kong high degree of autonomy, Li said, adding Beijing would “steadfastly implement patriots ruling Hong Kong”, while supporting local efforts to consolidate the city’s status as an international hub for finance, trading and logistics.
The approval came less than two weeks after Lee, the sole candidate, secured 99.4 per cent of all ballots cast by an Election Committee stacked with Beijing loyalists, a record for a chief executive election in Hong Kong.
While the central government has hailed the election as a new step in Hong Kong’s democratic development, critics have noted the poll was a far cry from the process by which people chose their new government from a field of candidates in the West.