Li Jiachao, the former Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong who just resigned, announced on Saturday (April 9) that he would formally run for the sixth term as Hong Kong's chief executive, and said that his future governance will be based on the three directions of solving different problems and comprehensively enhancing Hong Kong's competitiveness. , and lay a solid foundation for Hong Kong's development.
"This is a new symphony, and I will be the conductor," Reuters quoted Li Jiachao as saying at a video news conference.
Li Jiachao said at the press conference that in the past two years, he has seen Hong Kong go through the so-called "governance from chaos" and deeply feels that the next five years will be a critical moment for Hong Kong to "go from governance to prosperity". Let’s work with all walks of life to push Hong Kong forward.”
"The decision to run for election is based on my loyalty to the country, love for Hong Kong and responsibility for the people, and I am confident that I will meet the biggest challenge in my public career in the future," Li Jiachao said.
The 64-year-old Li Jiachao was born in the Hong Kong police force. After graduating from the preparatory school, he applied for the police force. He was promoted from trainee inspector to deputy police chief; then he successively served as deputy director and then director of the Security Bureau. He served as Hong Kong's Chief Secretary for Administration before announcing his candidacy for chief executive.
During his tenure in the Hong Kong Police Force, Li Jiachao was involved in handling a number of blockbuster cases, including the case of Zhang Ziqiang, known by the public as one of the "Three Kings of Thieves", the case of 800 kilograms of explosives, the case of the Ecstasy party with paper-packed drinks, and the case of " The case of Xu Bugao, known as the "Magic Police".
In June 2019, when the largest anti-amendment protests in Hong Kong history broke out, Li Jiachao, then the Secretary of Security, also participated in the suppression of demonstration organizations and participants. After the implementation of the national security law in the Hong Kong area in June 2020, Li Jiachao took a strong stance to hunt down and suppress pan-democrats, froze the working capital of the "Next Media" group, and arrested many executives and editors of the now-suspended "Apple Daily".
Li Jiachao said at a press conference about his tough stance in handling the turmoil against the amendment bill, that his handling method at that time was in line with the needs of the actual situation.
"The anti-amendment incident involves 'Hong Kong independence' and external forces fueling the flames. It is also a serious act of attacking the government out of political interests. Therefore, appropriate and effective methods are adopted to deal with it," Li Jiachao said.
He also pointed out that different approaches and attitudes are needed on different issues, but sincerity and the overall interest are needed.
After being appointed by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor as Chief Secretary for Security in June last year, Lee Ka-chao has remained hawkish on so-called security issues. Li Jiachao was in charge of reviewing the eligibility of Hong Kong Legislative Council members in December last year after Beijing put forward a request for "patriots to rule Hong Kong." He also wrote letters to Western media such as the Wall Street Journal and The Economist, defending the Hong Kong government's coercive tactics against pan-democrats.
Due to Li Jiachao's contributions in handling the turmoil against the amendment and implementing the National Security Law, there are rumors that his candidacy was hand-picked by Beijing. In this regard, he responded that communicating with the central government is beneficial to the overall interests of Hong Kong, and his candidacy this time is entirely out of his personal love for Hong Kong and his responsibility to the public. He also welcomes anyone running for election.
According to a number of Hong Kong media reports, the Liaison Office of the Beijing-based agency in Hong Kong recently met with several members of the Election Committee to discuss the arrangements for the election of the chief executive. Some election committees revealed that this year's chief executive election may follow the Macau model, with only one candidate, Li Jiachao, running for the election, which is completely different from the previous chief executive elections in which there were two or three candidates.
Since Li Jiachao joined the Hong Kong Police Force in his early years, his qualifications and experience have been relatively simple, so the outside world has questioned his lack of contacts in Hong Kong's political and business circles. However, Li Jiachao said that the chief executive cannot do everything alone, and the important thing is that the results brought by the government can benefit the citizens.
"The most important thing for the chief executive is fairness and justice. He has no deep relationship with some people and can ensure that the government is fair and just," he said. He stressed that he had no baggage and would put the overall interest first.