Hong Kong’s next leader Lee shows flexibility behind scenes

Bloomberg

John Lee became the only candidate for Hong Kong’s top post by proving his willingness to loyally execute Beijing’s demands despite an international outcry. The question now is whether he can convince China that re-opening the Asian financial centre to the world won’t jeopardise its control.
Lee, a former cop and security minister, emerged as a leading advocate for cracking down on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition over the past three years, defending the police’s use of force against protesters and warning that those who supported the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper would “pay a hefty price.” Such hard-line positions were central to Beijing’s decision to anoint him as the sole candidate in the chief executive’s election, according to interviews with 10 members of the committee appointed to ratify the choice.
At the same time, bankers, diplomats, politicians and others who’ve met privately with Lee say he’s been even-handed and receptive to the concerns of the business community in the beleaguered former British colony. While most expect him to hold fast to China’s sweeping view of national security, they say he appears more responsive to suggestions than outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who is deeply unpopular after a single five-year term.
One Hong Kong-based diplomat said Lee, 64, has come off during several meetings as a “gentleman” and appears to know how to balance his views. A member of Hong Kong’s international business community said he was open to meeting up and hearing concerns.
Hendrick Sin, a former HSBC Holdings Plc banker and co-founder of locally listed CMGE Technology Group, said Lee was a “good listener and able to analyse quickly.”
“Without strong ties or entangled relationships with business circles and real estate tycoons, he is seen as impartial — and that is a plus,” said Sin, who
nominated Lee for the Election Committee’s innovation and technology sector. “Hong Kong needs to be united, working towards different goals to face its tremendous challenges.”
Most of those interviewed, including several others who worked with Lee at various stages of his rise through government but aren’t members of the Election Committee, asked not to be identified by name because they weren’t authorised to speak on his behalf.
The tasks awaiting Lee when he takes office on July 1 are monumental, with President Xi Jinping looking to use the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule to demonstrate his success in rolling back foreign influence in the city. Beijing’s increasing willingness to dictate local policies — imposing a national security law and its Covid Zero virus strategy — has shaken confidence in the city’s future as a global finance hub.
Lee pledged in his campaign platform to enhance Hong Kong’s status as international business centre, while cautiously charting a path forward towards managing Covid in a city still without quarantine-free travel to either the mainland or the rest of the world. He said reopening the border was “the first task on my mind” and he would seek to “remove the obstacles to satisfy the requirements” for doing so, without elaborating.
“I know that the current measures are causing some inconvenience,” he said, according to the South China Morning Post. “The current government is
taking action to balance the measures against the need for economic development.”