Leaders of the Group of Seven nations aired “grave concern” Monday over the process that resulted in the election of Beijing loyalist John Lee as Hong Kong’s new chief executive.
Mr. Lee, who will replace Carrie Lam on July 1, won 1,416 votes Sunday from a 1,500-person committee that is largely loyal to the mainland. He was the only Beijing-approved candidate.
G-7 leaders said the process “moved away from the ultimate aim of universal suffrage as set out in Hong Kong’s Basic Law by increasing the number of non-elected members appointed to the Election Committee and dramatically curtailing the number of voters eligible to participate in the committee elections.”
“The current nomination process and resulting appointment are a stark departure from the aim of universal suffrage and further erode the ability of Hong Kongers to be legitimately represented. We are deeply concerned about this steady erosion of political and civil rights and Hong Kong’s autonomy,” said the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S.
Hong Kong is governed under a “one country, two systems” framework but has increasingly come under the thumb of Beijing. Protests over an extradition law sparked major protests in 2019, sparking a crackdown from the mainland.
Mr. Lee, who previously served as Hong Kong’s chief secretary, will serve a five-year term.
He is a career police officer who played a role in the 2019 crackdown, leading the West to believe he will act as an enforcer for Beijing.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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