In his sales pitch for the city, Hong Kong’s Lee praises order after chaos

• Hong Kong’s leader John Lee stresses the need of maintaining social order and national security.
• He also outlined ambitious ambitions to entice new businesses and top-tier talent to the city.
• Lee, a Beijing-appointed former policeman, did not specifically mention the years of pro-democracy protests.

After a period of “chaos,” Hong Kong’s leader John Lee stressed the need of maintaining social order and national security in his inaugural policy speech. He also outlined ambitious ambitions to entice new businesses and top-tier talent to the city.

After prolonged COVID-19 lockdowns and political unrest in Hong Kong, Lee’s address on Wednesday was primarily concerned with restoring the city’s reputation as a global commercial hub and selling the city as an alluring place for graduates of the best institutions in the world to live and work.

Although Lee, a Beijing-appointed former career policeman, did not specifically mention the years of pro-democracy protests that saw hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents take to the streets to assert their autonomy from Beijing, leading to clashes with police and thousands of arrests, he began his address with a focus on security.

The COVID-19 epidemic in early 2020 and Beijing’s passage of a national security law for Hong Kong, which resulted in the imprisonment of more than 100 people, including a number of well-known campaigners, and the exodus of many others from the city, put an end to the protest.

Lee discussed the benefits that Hong Kong provided under the “one country, two systems” in which the city served as a link between mainland China and the outside world.

Lee claimed that Hong Kong had regained “order” and was beginning “a new chapter” in which it will once more shine as the “Pearl of the Orient.”

The United States, maintaining security and sovereignty was essential to preserving stability and prosperity in the city.

“Hong Kong’s development forbids any delays. Our development requires social stability, so we must eliminate any interference, stated Lee.

In addition, he stressed the need to “watch vigilantly against threats,” strengthen the rule of law, improve judicial delivery, and increase public awareness of the law.

National security was a major topic early on in Lee’s presentation, which lasted more than two and a half hours, according to Jessica Washington of Al Jazeera’s bureau in Hong Kong.

How Hong Kong has transitioned from a chaotic state to one of governance and how the city must be watchful to preserve the stability that they have worked so hard to accomplish… Washington referred to Lee’s address as saying that the current task is to move from that posture of stability to one of prosperity.

These are statements that Chinese President Xi Jinping has made in the past, she said, particularly during his speech to the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] Congress and his visit to Hong Kong.

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