Staunch crackdown supporter to run for Hong Kong’s top job

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s No. 2 official has submitted his resignation and plans to seek the top job in a sign of Beijing further tightening its grip on the city and its politics. Chief Secretary John Lee is a staunch supporter of the Beijing-backed crackdown on pro-democracy activists that followed huge protests in Hong Kong in 2019. Lee is seen as Beijing’s favored candidate in the May election that will be decided by a committee with majority pro-Beijing members. The current Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Monday she would not seek a second term. Lee was a career police officer and Lam’s secretary for security during the protests.