John Lee, Who Led Crackdown on Hong Kong Protests, May Lead City

HONG KONG — John Lee rose through the ranks of Hong Kong’s security services, earning a reputation as a hard-liner by crushing the city’s 2019 protest movement and curbing dissent as the city’s No. 2 official.

Now, he is widely expected to be Beijing’s choice to take over as Hong Kong’s leader, an appointment that would reflect the central government’s emphasis on reinforcing its grip on the once-restive city, even at the expense of its status as a global financial center.

Mr. Lee said Wednesday he had submitted his resignation as Hong Kong’s chief secretary and that he planned to run for chief executive if Beijing accepted his notice.

“It signifies he is confident that he can get the support of Beijing, otherwise you would not take the risk of resigning from your post,” said Lau Siu-kai, an adviser to Beijing on Hong Kong affairs.

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive since 2017, opened the door for Mr. Lee to run when she said on Monday that she was stepping down after a single term plagued by vast antigovernment protests and a Covid outbreak this year with one of the world’s highest death rates.

If Mr. Lee were to move into the top job, he would bring to it a set of skills and experiences sharply different than those of his predecessor, reflecting just how much China’s priorities for Hong Kong have shifted.

Before becoming chief secretary last year, Mr. Lee, 64, had spent his entire career with Hong Kong’s security services, first with the police, eventually becoming deputy commissioner, before shifting to the city’s security bureau, which oversees the police, prisons, immigration and fire departments.

There, he became the security secretary, and then led the government’s campaign to suppress the widespread protests in 2019 against a proposal to allow extraditions to mainland China, which soon expanded into a broader antigovernment movement.

Last year, when the police arrested dozens of pro-democracy activists and politicians because of their efforts to choose candidates to run in the city’s legislative elections, Mr. Lee defended the move, saying their plans to paralyze Hong Kong’s government once in office would lead the city into a “bottomless abyss.” Many of those arrested remain in custody awaiting trial for charges of subversion under a tough national security law Beijing imposed in 2020.

Mr. Lee was one of several senior Hong Kong and Chinese officials the United States imposed sanctions on in 2020 for their roles in cracking down on dissent in the city.

Political analysts say Mr. Lee’s ascension to chief executive would show that Beijing still has deep concerns about Hong Kong’s political stability, even after a sweeping crackdown has left much of Hong Kong’s once vocal pro-democracy camp either in prison or exile.

“Beijing’s priority is to put political regime security above financial security in Hong Kong,” said Sonny Lo, a political analyst based in Hong Kong.

“It is not surprising for a security official to very likely take over the chief executive position in Hong Kong,” he added. “It conforms with the trend of securitization in mainland China in the past 10 years, especially…