Beijing Promotes Security Officials to Senior Roles in Hong Kong
The Chinese regime on Friday approved the promotion of Hong Kong’s security secretary John Lee to chief secretary, while police chief Chris Tang, 55, will take Lee’s position in what critics say will further tighten Beijing’s security squeeze on the global financial hub. The elevation of Lee, 63, a former police deputy commissioner, to chief secretary is […]
The Chinese regime on Friday approved the promotion of Hong Kong's security secretary John Lee to chief secretary, while police chief Chris Tang, 55, will take Lee's position in what critics say will further tighten Beijing's security squeeze on the global financial hub. The elevation of Lee, 63, a former police deputy commissioner, to chief secretary is the first time a security specialist has taken on the number two position in the territory since Hong Kong's handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Other former chief secretaries have had extensive economic and social policy-making expertise. Chief Executive Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's leader, said in a statement, "I am confident that they are competent for their new posts and would rise to the challenges in serving the community." Beijing's imposition of a sweeping national security law in Hong Kong in June 2020 has put China's freest city on an authoritarian trajectory, with mass arrests of democratic campaigners, and curbs ...
