The Honourable John Lee Ka-chiu GBM SBS PDSM PMSM
李家超
Lee in 2019
5th Chief Executive of Hong Kong
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 July 2022
President	Xi Jinping
Premier	Li Keqiang Li Qiang
Preceded by	Carrie Lam
8th Chief Secretary for Administration
In office 25 June 2021 – 7 April 2022
Chief Executive	Carrie Lam
Preceded by	Matthew Cheung
Succeeded by	Eric Chan
5th Secretary for Security
In office 1 July 2017 – 25 June 2021
Chief Executive	Carrie Lam
Preceded by	Lai Tung-kwok
Succeeded by	Chris Tang
2nd Under Secretary for Security
In office 1 October 2012 – 1 July 2017
Secretary	Lai Tung-kwok
Preceded by	Lai Tung-kwok
Succeeded by	Sonny Au
Personal details
Born	Lee Ka-chiu (1957-12-07) 7 December 1957 (age 66)[citation needed] British Hong Kong
Nationality	Hong Konger (since 1997) British (until 2012)
Spouse	Janet Lam ​ (m. 1980)​
Children	Gilbert Lee Man-lung Lee Man-chun
Residence	Government House, Hong Kong
Education	Wah Yan College Kowloon
Alma mater	Charles Sturt University (MPPA)
Signature
Police career
Department	Hong Kong Police Force
Service years	1977–2012
Rank	Deputy Commissioner of Police (Management)
Awards	PDSM PMSM
John Lee's voice Lee responds to Agnes Chow's self-exile at his weekly press conference Recorded December 5, 2023
Chinese name
Chinese	李家超
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǐ Jiāchāo Bopomofo ㄌㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄔㄠ Wade–Giles Li3 Chia1-chʻao1 IPA Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Léih Gāchīu Jyutping Lei5 Gaa1 ciu1 IPA

John Lee Ka-chiu GBM SBS PDSM PMSM (Chinese: 李家超; born 7 December 1957^[1]) is a Hong Kong politician and former police officer who is the fifth and current Chief Executive of Hong Kong.

Originally a police officer, Lee served as the Deputy Commissioner of the Hong Kong Police Force from 2010 to 2012. He was appointed Under Secretary of Security by Leung Chun-ying in 2012. After Carrie Lam became Chief Executive in 2017, he was promoted to Secretary for Security. In 2021, he succeeded Matthew Cheung as Chief Secretary for Administration, a post which he served until 2022. A pro-Beijing politician, Lee is known as being a hardliner against the pro-democracy camp in Hong Kong, having played a key role in the crackdown of the opposition.

As the sole candidate approved by China in the 2022 Hong Kong Chief Executive election, Lee was chosen as Hong Kong's next Chief Executive, taking office 1 July 2022 in the presence of President Xi Jinping.^[2] His selection was seen as a move by the Chinese government to focus further on security and further integrate Hong Kong with the mainland.^[3]

Early life

Lee was born and raised in Hong Kong. Lee, an adherent of the Roman Catholic faith, graduated from Wah Yan College in Kowloon, a secondary school run by the Roman Catholic Jesuit religious order.^[4]

In 1980, John Lee married Janet Lam at a young age, with whom he has two sons, Gilbert Lee Man-lung and Lee Man-chun.^[5] Lee did not attend university after secondary school.^[6]

Career

Police officer

On 15 August 1977,^[7] at the age of 19, Lee joined the Royal Hong Kong Police Force as a probationary inspector. He became a Chief Inspector on 11 May 1984.^[7] He became Chief Superintendent in 1997, Assistant Commissioner in 2003, senior assistant commissioner in 2007 and Deputy Commissioner in 2010. Having served in a wide range of operational duties, including the CID, Complaints Against Police, Service Quality, Personnel, Training, Information Systems, Finance, Policies Formulation, Planning and Development, Lee had been the Commander of Kowloon West Region, Assistant Commissioner (Crime) and Director of Crime and Security, and Deputy Commissioner (Management).^[8]

During his tenure as a police officer, Lee obtained a master's degree in Public Policy and Administration from Charles Sturt University in Australia under a self-learning programme sponsored by the force.^[8][9]

Security Bureau

Lee was appointed Under Secretary for Security in 2012 by chief executive Leung Chun-ying^[8] and promoted to Secretary for Security in July 2017 in Carrie Lam's administration.

In 2019, Lee played a key role in the push for the 2019 Hong Kong extradition bill.^{[clarification needed][10]}

On 3 July 2020, the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency stated that the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was formally established. There were 10 members of the committee. As the Secretary for Security of Hong Kong, Lee was a member of the committee.^[11][12]

In October 2020, Lee told Shenzhen Satellite TV in an interview that he was thankful for Beijing pushing through the National Security Law.^[13]

In December 2020, Lee defended the freezing of bank accounts belonging to former Democratic Party legislator Ted Hui, and said that other bank accounts, including those of suspect's relatives, could be frozen if they were believed to be related to a crime.^[14]

In January 2021, after the arrest of 53 pro-democracy figures, Lee stated to the Legislative Council that they were arrested for "subverting state power".^[15] Lee also stated that "The Security Bureau strongly reaffirms and fully supports the Police's operation, which is resolute and professional."^[16] In addition, Lee stated that the opposition figures' attempts were "evil" and meant to "overthrow" the government.^[17]

On 15 January 2021, Lee said that the new National Security Law would include police surveillance of communications, potentially giving the police more power to intercept and read communications.^[18]

In April 2021, Lee said that Hong Kong's disciplined services would adopt PLA-style goose step marching in order to demonstrate "nationalistic sentiments" and to "strengthen awareness of national security".^[19] In July 2022, Lee as Chief Executive said that "This time, we've comprehensively adopted the Chinese-style marching, which fully reflects the police's national identity and sense of belonging to the country, and also represents a solemn commitment to the trust bestowed by the nation, and loyalty to the country".^[20]

Chief Secretary

On 25 June 2021, the HKSAR Government announced that the State Council has on the recommendation of the Chief Executive appointed Lee as Chief Secretary for Administration,^[21] making him the third former police officer after William Caine, the founding head of the Hong Kong Police Force who served as Colonial Secretary from 1846 to 1854, and Francis Henry May, Captain Superintendent of the Police Force from 1893 to 1901 and Colonial Secretary from 1902 to 1911, to have served in the second-highest governmental position in Hong Kong.

In January 2022, after the arrest of employees from Stand News, Lee said that US media groups should support law enforcement, claiming that "If you are genuinely interested in press freedom, you should support actions against people who have unlawfully exploited the media as a tool to pursue their political or personal gains".^[22]

On 4 March 2022, Lee invoked emergency regulation to announce the construction of a bridge linking Hong Kong with Shenzhen; however, satellite images showed that construction appeared to have begun five days before Lee had invoked the emergency regulation.^[23] The border is drawn at the halfway point in the Shenzhen River, and photos show that a barge was on the Hong Kong side on 27 February 2022.^[23] On the day of the emergency regulation was announced, photos show that the bridge was past the halfway point on Hong Kong's side, extending just meters away from Hong Kong land.^[23]

On 6 April 2022, Lee resigned and planned to join the 2022 Chief Executive election. His resignation was approved by the State Council of China on the following day.^[24]

Chief Executive (2022–present)

2022 Chief Executive election bid

On 6 April 2022, Lee resigned and planned to join the 2022 Chief Executive election. His resignation was approved by the State Council of China on the following day.^[24] He formally announced his candidacy on 9 April 2022.^[25] Lee was the sole candidate who had the blessing of the Chinese leader Xi Jinping's administration in the 2022 Hong Kong Chief Executive election, which was communicated by the Liaison Office.^[26][27] The Office reportedly told the Election Committee that Lee would be the only candidate given permission by Beijing to be Chief Executive.^[28]

Lee's campaign manager, Tam Yiu-chung, revealed that Lee would develop a political manifesto by the end of April.^[29] Tam later claimed that the political manifesto would not be key for the public to support Lee.^[30] Lee dismissed criticism that the Election Committee members were nominating him without seeing his manifesto, claiming that the Election Committee members already knew him and could trust him.^[31] Despite having no competitors in the election, Lee said that the election run was "not easy".^[32] In October 2023, Lee said "Anyone who takes part in elections knows they must work hard, as nominations are not at your fingertips. They must use all methods available."^[33]

FactWire reported that Lee's two sons (Gilbert Lee and Jacky Lee) have business relationships with Election Committee members, but Lee said there was no conflict of interest.^[34] In the report, FactWire said that Gilbert Lee's direct manager is Diana Ferreira Cesar, who sits on the finance subsector of the Election Committee. Additionally, Jacky Lee is a business partner of Li Sing-tui, an ex-officio member of the Election Committee.^[35] Lee violated the Election Ordinance by submitting late paperwork, but was exempted from penalty in August 2022.^[36] For Lee's election forum, seven media stations will cohost the broadcast, with one politician criticizing plans for it, stating that questions are restricted, with no audience member interaction, and the forum being pre-recorded rather than live.^[37]

Appointment

Lee was the sole approved candidate, and of 1,461 Election Committee voters, 8 rejected him, 4 cast blank ballots, and 33 did not vote.^[38] He was formally appointed by premier Li Keqiang on 30 May 2022 and the cabinet he nominated was approved by the State Council of China on 19 June.^[39][40] He was officially sworn in on 1 July 2022,^[41] becoming the third Hong Kong leader with a police background, the others being William Caine and Sir Francis Henry May, who served as acting Governor and Governor of Hong Kong, respectively.

Domestic policy

Since John Lee became chief executive, Hong Kong government officials including Lee himself have shown public displays of loyalty towards Xi, similar to the mainland but previously unheard in the city.^[42]

Housing

In June 2022, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, the Beijing government's office that manages policy around Hong Kong, specifically said that it hoped Lee would tackle the deep-rooted issue of housing in Hong Kong, with more explicit targets, more courage, and more action.^[43] On 1 July 2022, Chinese leader Xi Jinping also called on affordable housing to be a priority for Lee's government.^[44] On 3 July 2022, Lee said that if the housing supply did not meet targets, both civil servants and government leaders would be responsible.^[45] On 19 October 2022, he announced several measures to combat the housing prices, including building 72,000 private residential units over the next five years.^[46] Lee has said that he respected the plan to build public housing on parts of the Hong Kong Golf Club's site in Fanling.^[47]

In October 2023, Lee cut some anti-speculation stamp duties on purchases of housing.^[48]

National education

In July 2022, Lee said that the government would spare no effort to enhance patriotic education, and said that the sense of young people of the nation and national identity would need to be fostered from an early age.^[49] In August 2022, Lee said that schools must teach students to respect and safeguard national security.^[50] In September 2022, Lee said that teachers would be required to "be cautious" about their conduct, set a "sense of national identity" with students, and also emphasized that "Newly appointed teachers in all public sector schools will be required to pass the Basic Law Test."^[51]

In June 2023, after mainland China proposed a "patriotic education law" for citizens, including Hong Kong and Macau, Lee said that the Hong Kong government would "comply" with its requirements.^[52] In October 2023, after the law was passed in mainland China, Lee said that Hong Kong would "fully facilitate the relevant work to co-ordinate within the Government and also the patriotic forces of different sectors in making persistent efforts to promote patriotic education, so as to enable the public to gain further knowledge of the history, culture and rapid development in all aspects of our country and understand the close relationship between Mainland and Hong Kong."^[53] A government source revealed that the education sector was not consulted over the changes beforehand, with the chairman of the Subsidised Primary Schools Council saying he still had no idea about the content.^[54] Lee had earlier said that for his 2023 policy address, he had 40 meetings and 8,700 pieces of feedback during a 3-month consultation period to have him set priorities.^[55]

Public hospitals

In his policy address, Lee said that the government may implement a minimum period of time in which healthcare professionals must work at a public hospital before they can leave.^[56] This caused an uproar among healthcare professionals, according to the president of the Hong Kong Public Doctors' Association.^[56]

In November 2022, Lee said of the policy "I believe the professionals hold strong affection for Hong Kong and are willing to serve the society."^[57] In contrast, John Tsang said that the policy "will only lead more medical professionals to leave Hong Kong."^[57]

On 11 November 2022, Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau revealed that the plan would include doctors, nurses, and dentists.^[58]

Transportation

In his 2022 Chief Executive Policy Address, Lee announced the Government would prioritise three rail projects and three road projects to improve transport infrastructure and connectivity in Hong Kong. It was reported that all six of these projects would begin consultation later in the year.^[59]

The Tseung Kwan O line would extend southwards to the New Development Area of Tseung Kwan O Area 137. As part of the development of Area 137, a new road tunnel would be built from Tseung Kwan O to Yau Tong. In addition, he recommended the construction of Hong Kong‑Shenzhen Western Rail Link, a railway line connecting Hung Shui Kiu to Qianhai, Shenzhen, and the Central Rail Link between Kam Tin and Kowloon Tong via Kwai Chung.^[60][61]

A new highway, the Northern Metropolis Highway, would improve connectivity between Tin Shui Wai and Kwu Tung North increasing road capacity between the Northern Metropolis. A new trunk road between Tai Po and Kowloon West would bypass Sha Tin and relieve congestion from the Tolo Highway.^[59]

CBD

In September 2022, Lee said that "Cannabis is a drug, and the government will categorise CBD as a dangerous drug... to protect the public's health."^[62] The move to ban CBD by February 2023 would put it in the same category as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.^[62]

Emigration wave

During his leadership, Lee attempted to reverse the emigration wave in Hong Kong triggered by the imposition of the National Security Law in 2020, as well as the strict zero-COVID curbs. On 19 October 2022, he gave a 2-hour 45 minute long speech, saying that Hong Kong would "snatch" global talent. He accordingly released seven measures, including granting graduates from the world's top 100 universities a two-year visa, allowing employers to hire overseas talent more easily, extend employment visas and refund extra stamp duty to foreigners-turned-permanent residents who are still holding property.^[63] However, the exodus continued throughout the year, with the government announcing in 2023 that the total of the population fell by 0.9% compared to a year earlier.^[46]

In July 2023, after a report showed that almost 28,000 students left the Hong Kong school system from 2021 to 2022, Lee said of the emigration wave that "I believe the worst has passed."^[64]

Northern Metropolis and Lantau Tomorrow Vision

In March 2023, Regina Ip said that the Northern Metropolis project should be prioritized over Lantau Tomorrow Vision; Lee then responded by saying both projects would move ahead simultaneously without the need to prioritize one over the other.^[65] In April 2023, a survey showed that only 6% of Hongkongers supported Lee's idea to build both simultaneously.^[66]

District councils

In May 2023, Lee announced that district councils would have 88 democratically elected seats, down from the previous number of 452 seats, and lower than when Hong Kong was a British colony.^[67] Lee said that "I do not agree that pure counting election votes means democracy."^[67]

In July 2023, after the legislative council unanimously passed the resolution, Lee said "The chaos is a wake-up call for us. We must plug the institutional loopholes and completely exclude those anti-China and destabilising forces from the .^[68]

In October 2023, after potential candidates said they had a difficult time contacting committees (area committees, district fire safety committees and district fight crime committees) to get a mandatory nomination in the district council voting process, Lee said candidates must rely on their "own efforts" to secure a nomination.^[69] On potential candidates having issues getting nominations, Lee said that if they "aren't able to meet those basic requirements, they should look into why they have problems."^[70]

Local media reported that more than 75% of candidates in directly elected seats in the election were also members of committees responsible for nominating candidates.^[71] After opposition groups were effectively banned from running in the election by not getting nominations, Lee said it was a "fierce competition."^[71]

Lee also said that an attempt by the UK to increase the number of democratically elected seats before 1997 was "an attempt to make Hong Kong an independent or semi-independent political entity, hindering China's resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong and the implementation of effective governance."^[72]

In December 2023, after the 2023 district council elections produced the lowest-ever voter turnout, Lee said "I think that was a good turnout."^[73]

Petitions

In September 2023, Lee said he would not restart a long-standing tradition where the Chief Executive could receive petition letters every Tuesday outside of the Chief Executive's Office in Admiralty.^[74]

COVID-19 pandemic

On 5 July 2022 in his first ever weekly news conference as the Chief Executive, Lee said that Hong Kong would look into easing COVID-19 health protocols, shortening the quarantine period in particular. However, he also stressed the aim to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and hospitals from being overwhelmed. He also expressed his awareness for Hong Kong to remain open and convenient to travellers but the risks posed by the pandemic should also be taken into consideration at the same time. In addition, he revealed that he had instructed Secretary of Health Lo Chung-mau to consider the possibility of the move.^[75]

On 1 September 2022, Lee announced after his videoconference that people would be allowed to "reverse quarantine" in Hong Kong for seven days before traveling to Guangzhou.^[76] Asked about quarantine-free travel to mainland China, Lee said "This proposal of doing quarantine in Hong Kong so as to fulfil the seven-plus-three requirement in Shenzhen is in no replacement of other measures that we always try to seek so as to allow more convenience in allowing people to travel from Hong Kong to the mainland."^[76]

On 6 September 2022, Lee denied that government officials were in disagreement over pandemic measures with Bloomberg reporting that some officials hoped to end quarantine by November 2022.^[77] On 12 September 2022, SCMP reported that Hong Kong's health experts had been issued clear rules by Lee's administration, stating that they should not express conflicting opinion's against the government's official positions.^[78] This came after the government's COVID-19 Expert Advisory Panel, composed of six medical specialists, had several members who suggested gradually lifting COVID-19 restrictions, including removing hotel quarantine by November 2022.^[78]

On 8 September 2022, Lee's administration announced that children as young as 5 years old would need to be vaccinated to eat in restaurants;^[79] it is one of the few places in the world that requires vaccination for children.^[80] A study released in October 2022 showed that 85% of parents in Hong Kong disagree with vaccinating their children.^[81]

On 13 September 2022, Lee held a press conference, where he addressed concerns that people coming from mainland China to Hong Kong did not need to be vaccinated.^[82] Lee stated that mainland China had few cases and did not pose a risk,^[82] though Hong Kong averaged between 8,000 and 10,000 cases per day; Lee did not address the risk of unvaccinated mainland Chinese catching COVID-19 while in Hong Kong. A day later on 14 September 2022, lawmaker Michael Tien criticized the lack of mandatory vaccination for those coming from mainland China, saying that the lack of vaccination could increase their risk of infection in Hong Kong and place strain on the city's healthcare system.^[83] Another doctor, Joseph Tsang Kay-yan, chairman of the Medical Association's advisory committee on communicable diseases, echoed Tien's comments against what Lee said, stating "The risk of travellers from the mainland getting Covid in Hong Kong is high. They need to balance this. If they are infected here, will they occupy our public healthcare system? Will it tighten the supply of isolation wards?"^[84] On 16 September 2022, the government backtracked on Lee's statement and announced that arrivals from mainland China, Macau, and Taiwan would need to be vaccinated in order to receive a vaccine pass.^[85]

Lee also vowed to host a "successful financial summit" in November 2022 (the Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit) and that reducing quarantine would require more data.^[86] During the press conference on 13 September 2022, Lee warned against comparing the flu against COVID-19, claiming that COVID-19 was 6 times more deadly than the flu, and stating that the situation was still "critical".^[87] A day later, medical experts disagreed with Lee's data and estimated COVID-19's fatality rate at 0.098%, lower than the 0.1% recorded for the flu.^[87] Dr. Joseph Tsang Kay-yan also mentioned that the death rate of 0.098% could be even lower in reality, due to citizens not reporting their infections, plus an accounting difference, where people who die with COVID-19 are counted as a COVID-19 death, even if the underlying cause of death was not due to COVID-19.^[87]

In September 2022, the Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates, organizer of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2022 issued an ultimatum to the government, stating that they would have to cancel the marathon if there were no government approval by 16 September 2022.^[88] The date passed without government approval and the event was cancelled;^[88] Lee later said "we feel disappointed that the organizer made the decision before the government's reply."^[89]

On 20 September 2022, Huang Liuquan, an official at the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, made a speech which the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies interpreted as Beijing granting Lee permission to open Hong Kong's international borders.^[90]

On 21 September 2022, Lee said that Hong Kong is a "highly open, international city in the Greater Bay Area", though SCMP noted that the region has been mostly cut off from the outside world since early 2020 due to travel restrictions.^[91] Frederick Ma Si-hang, a former Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, also called Hong Kong "isolated".^[92]

On 23 September 2022, Lee said Hong Kong was still aligned with the "dynamic zero-Covid" strategy.^[93] A day later, the Centre for Health Protection said Hong Kong is unlikely to achieve zero-Covid.^[94]

On 1 October 2022, Lee said Hong Kong would not "lie flat" when fighting COVID-19.^[95] On 8 October 2022, Lee said that differences of opinion should not detract from fighting the virus.^[96]

On 11 October 2022, reporters pointed out that the third-jab rates in Hong Kong and Singapore were similar with Singapore having dropped many COVID-19 measures compared to Hong Kong,^[97] but Lee said he would not compare anti-epidemic efforts between the two cities due to differences in healthcare systems and culture, and would continue to hold steady on Hong Kong's "0+3" scheme for inbound travelers.^[98] Lee also said that removing all travel restrictions would first require the government to consider many "uncertain factors".^[99]

On 18 October 2022, Lee said that the government should be careful when further easing COVID-19 restrictions, that a gradual approach was necessary, and that the government would be careful of new variants.^[100] Lee also said that the government was working with mainland China to "iron out some challenges" in regards to quarantine-free cross-border travel, and said that details had not been hashed out, stating "I will have to wait for further ideas from our mainland counterparts so that we can really work out the details."^[101] Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=John_Lee_(government_official)
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