Andrei Karneyev, deputy director of the Institute of Asian and African Affairs at Moscow State University said that “Lam will take office at the same time as the 20th anniversary will be celebrated since the former British colony [Hong Kong] returned under Chinese jurisdiction. There are reports suggesting that Xi Jinping will also join the celebrations. His meeting with Carrie Lam will be a symbolic starting point for the development of the situation in Hong Kong under the new administration,” Karneyev said.
However, the deputy director said that despite all the support and confidence that Lam is receiving, the future seems difficult ahead for her administration as she will have to cope not only with numerous socio-economic problems, but also with issues regarding the radicalization of her political life.
Recently, Beijing has also been concerned with the activities of Hong Kong’s radical youth movement called “Localism” which originated after the democratic protests in the autumn of 2014.
According to the deputy director, the idea of consolidating Hong Kong’s society is a priority for Carrie Lam. In her speech she said that Hong Kong is a common home and it suffers from serious disagreements, as there are a lot of contradictions within its structures.
“Lam also promised to meet with representatives of various political forces to develop a mechanism for regular contacts and consultations,” Karneyev said.
However, the very procedure for electing the head of the administration was criticized by the opposition. The elections were held amidst mass rallies protesting Beijing's interference in the internal affairs of Hong Kong.
According to the deputy director an alarming symptom of the possible aggravation of the situation was that immediately after the election, the organizers of these massive pro-democracy protests held in the fall of 2014 were summoned by the police.
“As the South China Morning Post reported, they [the protestors] can be arrested and brought to criminal responsibility. This can aggravate the situation during the transition period. On the other hand, it is not in the interest of the authorities to give the opposition the opportunity to untwist the flywheel of protests during the transfer of power,” Kameyev said.
He further added that if Lam manages to find a public consensus in such a difficult situation and most importantly is able to convince the society of the real opportunities required to solve the acute social problems of Hong Kong, this would greatly facilitate her work as the head of the administration.
“Public support today is extremely important because according to polls, on the eve of the elections, Lam fell behind John Tsang. Therefore, Carrie Lam’s first steps will be closely watched in Beijing as it considers it essential to maintain stability in Hong Kong,” the deputy director concluded.
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