John Lee Sworn in as Hong Kong Chief Executive, Replacing Lam

John Lee, 64, was sworn in as Hong Kong’s new chief executive on the 25th anniversary of the Chinese rule handover on Friday, July 1. He succeeds leader Carrie Lam, who served under the same role from 2017 to 2022.

President Xi Jinping, who made his first trip outside of China since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, officiated the swearing-in ceremony of the new administration led by Lee.

In his inaugural speech on Friday, Lee said the rule of law is a fundamental value for the nation and vowed to create policies that will benefit the citizens.

Ahead of the inauguration, Lee launched his official social media pages to thank his family for allowing him to take on a new role “with no worries.” He shared a photo of the city’s skyline and Victoria Harbour to mark the start of “a new chapter for Hong Kong.”

Lee was a former high-ranking police officer at the forefront of government crackdown on democracy protests in the city.