Hong Kong leader says China patriots now firmly in charge

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Monday that Chinese patriots are now firmly in charge of the city following the election of its new leader, who ran unopposed in a process controlled by Beijing.

Lam’s comments came a day after a carefully vetted election committee voted overwhelmingly to approve John Lee, a hard-line security chief who oversaw a crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement after massive protests turned violent in 2019.

The protests led to the imposition by Beijing of a sweeping National Security Law and the reorganization of the city's legislature. Political opponents were subsequently jailed, dissenting voices silenced and the organized opposition quashed.

Appearing with Lee, Lam said such changes were necessary to restore order and stability in the Asian financial hub.

“I want to thank the central government again for taking resolute measures when Hong Kong faced unprecedented challenges," said Lam, who is stepping down after a single five-year term as leader.

“It formulated the National Security Law, which helped Hong Kong transform from chaos to order, and also improved Hong Kong’s electoral system so that we can achieve long-term peace and stability,” Lam said.

Lee won more than 99% of the vote cast by the 1,500 members of the election committee.

While China cited the need to restore order as the motivation for political change in Hong Kong, the demand that only patriots — defined as those loyal to the ruling Communist Party — could hold office was a central theme.

The establishment of the political system of “patriots running Hong Kong” is vital for Hong Kong’s future, Lam said.

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized countries — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. — called the...