John Lee: This is the head of government of Hong Kong

Created: 12/28/2022, 1:46 p.m

John Lee, Hong Kong Prime Minister.

© Selim Chtayti / dpa

John Lee has been Hong Kong's Prime Minister since July 2022.

However, it is primarily the government in Beijing that determines the fate of the Chinese city.

Hong Kong – A Hong Kong native, John Lee started his career with the Royal Hong Kong Police Force.

He then held the position of Minister of Public Security and finally that of Chief Executive, which is the highest-ranking official post in Hong Kong SAR.

Since July 2022, John Lee has represented Hong Kong's interests as the new head of government.

On December 7, 1957, police officer and politician John Lee was born.

He has held the post of Prime Minister of Hong Kong SAR since July 1, 2022.

He follows in the footsteps of Carrie Lam.

John Lee private: The family of Hong Kong's Prime Minister

John Lee graduated from Wah Yan College in Kowloon in 1977.

His two sons, Gilbert Lee Man-lung and Jacky Lee Man-chun, also attended this college.

Her mother is Janet Lam Lai-sim.

She and John Lee married after the birth of their elder son, Gilbert.

Both Janet Lam and the two children have British citizenship, giving John Lee the right to it as well.

In fact, he owned it until 2012, but then discarded it to become Deputy Minister of Public Security in Hong Kong.

His family retained second citizenship.

Hong Kong Prime Minister John Lee: Career

After leaving school, John Lee joined the Royal Hong Kong Police Force at the age of 19.

In 2010 he was appointed deputy chief of police.

During his police career, he earned his Masters in Public Policy and Administration from Australia's Charles Sturt University through distance learning paid for by the Police Force.

In 2012, he was promoted to Deputy Minister of Public Security.

In 2017 he was promoted to senior minister of public security.

As such, he was instrumental in the brutal crackdown on various large-scale protests, including:

• Protests against the planned extradition law (2019)

• Protests Against Chinese Hong Kong City Safety Net (2020)

Because of his role in these demonstrations, John Lee is unpopular across much of Hong Kong.

On June 25, 2021, it was announced that he would be the new head of administration.

He took over the second most important post behind Prime Minister Carrie Lam.

John Lee: The Road to Hong Kong's Prime Minister

On April 6, 2022, the State Council of the People's Republic of China officially announced that John Lee had been approved as the sole candidate and stood for election to succeed Carrie Lam.

On April 9, John Lee himself confirmed his candidacy.

He was appointed to the post on May 8th.

The election is described by observers as sham-democratic because Lee had no competitors.

The 64-year-old's term as Hong Kong's head of government began on July 1, 2022.

As such, he represents the interests of the seven million Hong Kongers vis-à-vis the Chinese central government.

Defenders of democracy and media not controlled by the People's Republic of China see this critically: on the one hand they accuse John Lee of lacking government experience, on the other hand his statement that it is not necessary to defend press freedom in Hong Kong