HONG KONG – Mrs Carrie Lam, who as Hong Kong’s leader presided over the city’s most turbulent period in decades, failed to make it to China’s top advisory body in the latest line-up.
Mrs Lam was absent from a list of new members on the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which was released on Wednesday following a meeting in Beijing to decide who to add.
Mrs Lam served one term as Hong Kong’s chief executive before stepping down in June 2022. Two of her three predecessors – Mr Tung Chee Hwa and Mr Leung Chun Ying – were appointed to the CPPCC after holding the chief executive’s office. The third, Mr Donald Tsang, has kept a low profile since his term ended in 2012 amid corruption scandals.
Widespread pro-democracy protests in 2019 – triggered by Mrs Lam’s proposal to allow suspected criminals to be extradited to the mainland – led to Beijing imposing a far-reaching security law on Hong Kong. In 2022, Mrs Lam was forced to turn to Beijing for help after a wave of Covid-19’s Omicron variant led to the healthcare system being overwhelmed.
New members on the CPPCC include deputy directors of the Liaison Office, New World Development’s Mr Adrian Cheng and Shun Tak Holdings’ Ms Pansy Ho. Mr Tung will step down as vice-chairman of the body. BLOOMBERG
