Beijing pushes for Carrie Lam in Hong Kong

Politics & Current Affairs

Top politics and current affairs news for March 1, 2017. Part of the daily The China Projectย news roundup "The tax haven of Tibet."

Lucas Niewenhuis
  • Beijingโ€™s shadow looms over Hong Kong electionsย / WSJ (paywall)
    Beijing appears to be making a special push in this yearโ€™s Hong Kong election for chief executive to push its favored candidate over the top. Multiple people in the 1,200-member election committee have reported receiving phone calls for months from individuals in China claiming to represent the interests of Beijing and urging them to cast their ballots for Carrie Lamย ๆž—้„ญๆœˆๅจฅ. While Beijingโ€™s influence in the election is by no means unusual or unexpected, the members said that the pressure began earlier and was more intense this year. Lam is noted for โ€” and likely trusted by Beijing because of โ€” her leading role in the government response to the 2014 pro-democracy protests. For more information on Lam and the other candidates in the Hong Kong election, see thisย roundup by Bloomberg.

Lucas Niewenhuis is the Newsletter Editor at The China Project. Previously, he has researched China-Africa relations at the Social Science Research Council, interned at the Council on Foreign Relations, and studied Chinese language and culture in Shanghai and Beijing. Read more

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