He is replacing Carrie Lam following the city’s chief executive election – in which he was the sole candidate.

Known for his pro-Beijing hardline views, he is not exactly well-liked, having garnered only 34.8 points out of 100 in a recent popularity survey.

But this matters little in Hong Kong where the public does not get to directly elect their leader – instead, Mr Lee has essentially been handpicked by Beijing.

The 64-year-old has been chosen by an election committee staffed mostly by Beijing loyalists, who voted in what was basically a rubber-stamp election.

Unlike his predecessors, who either had ties with the business community or experience in the civil service, Lee’s background is in law enforcement.

The father of two was both a Hong Kong resident and a British citizen, until he abandoned his UK citizenship shortly before he was appointed Under Secretary for Security in 2012.

When massive street protests against the bill erupted, he continued to back it. He became one of the faces of the local government in press conferences.

The protests, which began peacefully, at times descended into violent clashes between the police and some demonstrators.

The police, under Mr Lee’s watch as security chief, was criticised for their heavy use of water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets and occasionally live ammunition in running battles with the protesters.

The US has since imposed sanctions on Mr Lee along with other officials for what they call the undermining of the city’s autonomy during the protests. It has led YouTube to block his campaign account.

Mr Lee has defended his position fiercely, saying he was only doing his duty “to safeguard security”.

In June last year, he was appointed Chief Secretary of Administration, the city’s second most powerful position. He held the post for less than a year, before resigning in April to run for the top job.

In June 2020, China passed the draconian national security law for Hong Kong, which made it easier to punish protesters and led to the arrest of more than 100 dissidents.

Mr Lee was appointed a member in a newly established committee that oversees national security matters. He said the law has helped Hong Kong to restore “stability from chaos”, and he will continue to eliminate “the ideology of Hong Kong independence, violence and extremism”.

He has hinted his time in office will prioritise security issues, including the security legislation of Article 23, above all else.

This is an item in the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini constitution, which says the city should enact its own legislation to “prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion” against Beijing.

Since an aborted attempt in 2003, no Hong Kong leader has given it another try, but now Mr Lee is calling it “a top priority” for his upcoming administration.

He has also become the chairman of a separate committee with the power to decide who are eligible “patriots” to run in any election in Hong Kong.

Mr Lee has taken a hardline position on the media, saying last year that the Hong Kong government would look into creating legislation to address what he described as “fake news” and a national security issue.

Among his critics Mr Lee’s nickname is Pikachu, a character from the cartoon Pokémon.

It’s a play on his Chinese name Ka-Chiu but also references what some say is a pet-like loyalty to Beijing.

Political commentators believe his selection shows a “shift of priority” from Beijing, and it needs to be viewed in the context of the current state of China-US relations.

“Beijing seems convinced now the US is using Hong Kong as a base to try to subvert China,” said political scientist Willy Wo-Lap Lam.

Critics also say Mr Lee’s appointment is further evidence of how Hong Kong is being turned into a “police state”, and warn that political crackdowns will intensify under his watch.

“Choosing him (Mr Lee) signals that the Chinese Communist Party is not confident about security in Hong Kong. It also lets us know that the central government continues to distrust the Hong Kong government and people,” wrote John Burns in a recent column for Hong Kong Free Press, an independent news website.

Ronson Chan, chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, told the BBC there is a real worry that people might be “criminalised for their expression or their thoughts”, and says his association intends to raise issues about press freedom with Mr Lee’s administration.

Under the national security law, independent publications such as tabloid Apple Daily and news website Stand News have been shut down, while journalists and media executives have been charged with “colluding with foreign forces” and sedition.

There have also been concerns that Mr Lee lacks experience managing the economy and social welfare.

He will take power at a time where the global financial hub is struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He will also have to address issues such a lack of housing and growing inequality.

But he appears to have secured backing from the city’s elite.

A week after his nomination Mr Lee formed an advisory team that includes many prominent figures, including Hong Kong’s richest man Li Ka-shing and China’s top advisory committee member Henry Tang. Even movie star Jackie Chan is on the list.

Victor Li, chairman of CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd, said in a statement that Mr Lee is “a suitable choice” for the city’s next leader, “as a city can only prosper when it is stable.”

Mr Lee has described Hong Kong as a symphony orchestra and, despite his lack of experience in running a top financial city, he will be its “conductor”.

Beijing, it appears, has also come to the same conclusion.

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