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Hong Kong’s next leader John Lee heads to Beijing to hand in list of proposed governing team, accept appointment letter

  • Chief executive-elect left his Ho Man Tin flat with wife Janet Lam Lai-sim on Saturday morning for a four-day trip to capital
  • Lee must undergo two days of quarantine in Beijing under a ‘closed-loop’ system before his expected meeting with state leaders on Monday, sources say

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Chief Executive-elect John Lee leaves home on Saturday morning. Photo: Yik Yeung-man
Hong Kong’s incoming leader John Lee Ka-chiu departed for Beijing on Saturday to accept his appointment letter as chief executive from state leaders and submit a list of his proposed governing team for approval.
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Lee left his Ho Man Tin flat with wife Janet Lam Lai-sim on Saturday morning for a four-day trip to the capital, arriving in Beijing at about 4pm.

He was expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and present the names of the finalists for his team to the central government for its approval, according to sources.
President Xi Jinping. Photo: AP
President Xi Jinping. Photo: AP

It will be Lee’s first meeting with top leaders since he was returned uncontested on May 8 with 99.2 per cent of the vote in a small-circle election decided by Beijing loyalists. The State Council approved his appointment on May 20 and he will be sworn in as Hong Kong’s next chief executive on July 1.

Lee must undergo two days of quarantine in Beijing under a “closed-loop” system, before he is expected to meet state leaders on Monday and return to Hong Kong on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the plan.

The source said Lee would accept his appointment letter from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and meet Xi.

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