Beijing approves resignation of John Lee as chief secretary of Hong Kong
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John Lee resigned as chief secretary this week as he plans to run in the upcoming Chief Executive election in Hong Kong.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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HONG KONG (XINHUA, BLOOMBERG) - Beijing has approved the resignation of Hong Kong Chief Secretary John Lee, paving the way for his bid for the city's top job in May.
The State Council on Thursday (April 7) decided to remove Mr Lee from his duty as the city's chief secretary, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday, in accordance to incumbent Chief Executive Carrie Lam's recommendation as well as relevant provisions of the Hong Kong Basic Law.
Mr Lee, 64, tendered his resignation as the city's No. 2 official on Wednesday and has been on leave since.
He had said that if his resignation is approved by Beijing, he shall "plan to prepare to stand for the upcoming chief executive election”.
Mr Lee also said the will inform the people of his next move once his resignation is approved.
Earlier, Hong Kong's tycoons had thrown their support for Mr Lee - reportedly Beijing's preferred option for the job - in their latest show of loyalty to China.
A slew of property moguls on Thursday endorsed Mr Lee, who resigned as chief secretary this week, including the leaders of Sun Hung Kai Properties, the CK Group, Henderson Land Development and New World Development.
The families running those empires have a combined fortune of more than US$100 billion (S$136 billion), according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Hong Kong's once all-powerful tycoons have been increasingly vocal about subservience to Beijing as their political and economic clout waned in recent years.
Beijing's overhaul of the city's Election Committee last year also diluted the tycoons' voting power and the political clout they once had.
Separately, Hong Kong's sole delegate to the National People's Standing Committee, Mr Tam Yiu-chung, was tapped by Mr Lee to serve as his campaign manager, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported, citing unidentified individuals.
Former constitutional and mainland affairs minister Raymond Tam, would service as the campaign's deputy director, according to the SCMP.
