Hong Kong leader uncertain on second term in office

HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s leader John Lee shrugged off a question on whether he would seek a second term in office, the South China Morning Post reported on Monday, and said he was focused on accomplishing much more in his final year.

“A year is a long time in politics,” Lee said in an interview with the Post, as he deflected the question of extending his tenure another five years to focus on what he saw as ensuring continuity in governance.

Lee, a former policeman and Hong Kong security chief, took over the territory’s leadership in 2022, in the aftermath of COVID and mass anti-government protests that led Beijing to impose a sweeping National Security Law.

When asked if he was preparing for a second term beginning in July next year, Lee told the Post, “I don’t think I should consider this question now. I mean, time will come when I see.”

He said his administration was focusing on policy continuity with the city set to roll out its first five-year plan before the end of 2026, as it seeks to align more closely with policymaking in mainland China.

Since Lee took the helm, Hong Kong has seen an economic recovery but his administration has also come under pressure from last November’s Wang Fuk Court fire, which left 168 people dead and thousands homeless and was the city’s deadliest fire in decades.