Central gov't officials vow full support for John Lee

Heads of the central government's offices in Hong Kong pledged full support on Monday for the new-term government led by chief executive-elect John Lee Ka-chiu, saying that Lee, elected on Sunday, was not only the choice of the Election Committee, but also represented the aspiration of Hong Kong's public.

Luo Huining, the central government's liaison chief in the city, said the office will, as always, render full support to the chief executive and to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government to govern the city in accordance with the law and maintain long-term stability and prosperity.

Luo made the remark in a statement after meeting with Lee, who also paid courtesy calls to central government institutions in the city on Monday.

Luo said the election, conducted in a fair, lawful and just manner, has again let the public see the advancement and strengths of the improved electoral system. It also showcased once more the bright future of exploring a path to Hong Kong-style democracy.

He said Hong Kong is in the critical juncture of evolving from chaos to order and prosperity.

Luo called on the new-term government and the city's various sectors to seize the historic opportunity to give full play to Hong Kong's inherent advantages to reach new heights.

Luo said the liaison office, as one of the central government's offices in the city, will continue to uphold the principle of "one country, two systems" and that of "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" with a high degree of autonomy to firmly safeguard the order established by the Constitution and the Basic Law of the HKSAR.

Also pledging full support were Zheng Yanxiong, director of the national security office in Hong Kong and Liu Guangyuan, commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR.

Both expressed confidence in the chief executive-elect and the SAR government leading the city to start a new chapter for the implementation of "one country, two systems".

Zheng said the office will steadfastly perform its duty to support the SAR government in governing in accordance with the law and work together with the SAR government to safeguard national security and promote the city's stability and prosperity.

Lee also met with Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor at government headquarters.

Calling the meeting with Lam useful, Lee said they delved into issues relating to government transition, pandemic controls and proposed government restructuring, as well as events marking the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

Lee has won the election of the city's sixth-term chief executive with 1,416 votes－more than 99 percent of Election Committee members who cast ballots and far surpassing the 750-vote threshold needed to win the election.

His term is expected to begin on July 1 after his appointment by the central government.