Beijing Reaffirms Commitment to Carrie Lam
Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam’s popularity ratings have dropped amidst ongoing protests. (Wikimedia Commons)
Beijing recently reaffirmed its commitment to Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s struggling chief executive, even as rumors swirled it was sizing up potential replacements.
The Financial Times initially reported on October 22 that the Chinese government was looking at two candidates to replace Lam, who has become the least popular chief executive of Hong Kong since the territory rejoined China in 1997. Lam is responsible for introducing the now-infamous extradition bill, which has sparked months of pro-democratic protests. The bill has since been withdrawn, a move that did little to assuage the protesters, who have expanded their demands to include investigations of police violence and reform of Hong Kong’s system of government. The front-runner candidates, according to the Financial Times, are Norman Chan, former-head of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and Henry Tang, a scandal-ridden heir to a textile fortune, former-finance secretary and chief secretary, and former-candidate for the office of chief executive. Both candidates are notable for their loyalty to Beijing rather than for their popularity within Hong Kong.
In a briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying called the reports "political rumor [being spread with] ulterior motives," and assured the press that the “central government will firmly support and assist the chief executive and the SAR (Special Administrative Region) government in governing Hong Kong in accordance with law, and in stopping violence and chaos as soon as possible.” Lam’s office refused to comment.
Lam has reportedly offered to resign in the past but was told to stay put by Beijing. She later denied those reports, despite the presence of recordings confirming that the conversation had taken place.
The speculation and refutation come as Lam and Beijing appear to have suffered a difference of opinion on the matter of Hong Kong’s now-reviled police force, which has been the target of calls for independent inquiries and reform by the protestors. In an apparent concession to the people, Lam said over the weekend that her support for the police was not “blind” and that she stood opposed to violence on both sides. The People’s Daily, meanwhile, published a commentary that made clear that Beijing’s support for the police in their “fight against violence and restoration of order” was “unwavering.” Protesters who opposed the police, according to the piece, were in danger of being “taken on the evil path of anti-China.”
Meanwhile, Lam’s annual address to the Legislative Assembly was disrupted by pro-democracy protestors and lawmakers, who jeered at her and demanded her resignation. After being forced twice from the podium, she gave her speech from a protected location and broadcast it to the Assembly. Her focus on tweaking economic policy in order to mollify protesters has received criticism from those who insist that they are demonstrating for political freedoms. “If you say to young people, ‘I’m giving you public housing, please don’t come out to protest’ — don’t count on it,” said Ray Chan, a pro-democracy lawmaker.