How did Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee fare in his first year in office?
Mr Lee, who oversaw the crackdown on pro-democracy protests, was Beijing's choice for the top job following the tumultuous years of social unrest and COVID-19 restrictions.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee took office a year ago vowing to restore the city’s global appeal and steer the battered economy back on track after the COVID-19 pandemic.
One year on, he has hit some of his targets, but the road ahead remains fraught with challenges, said observers.
The former beat cop who rose to become Hong Kong's security chief was a shoo-in from the get-go, after being elected uncontested. Electoral reforms ensured only patriots could run for government.
Mr Lee, who oversaw the crackdown on pro-democracy protests, was Beijing's choice for the top job - a role that carried high expectations after the tumultuous years of social unrest and COVID-19 restrictions.
After taking office, Mr Lee said that the next five years would be a crucial time for Hong Kong to advance from governance to prosperity.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government “will press ahead to overcome challenges with a pragmatic and can-do attitude, and adopt a result-oriented approach to solve social problems”, he added at the time.

TACKLING TRAVEL, MANPOWER CHALLENGES
Seven months into his new role, Hong Kong resumed quarantine-free travel with the mainland and the world, which gave the city a much-needed consumption boost.
The move has helped to raise confidence, with the gross domestic product (GDP) projected to grow between 3.5 to 5.5 per cent.
Then, the Hong Kong leader’s popularity ratings soared to a 59 per cent high.

After that, the attention turned to manpower, a resource that Hong Kong urgently needs to sharpen its competitive edge.
In his maiden policy address last October, Mr Lee announced an aggressive talent trawling campaign.
The Top Talent Pass Scheme allows graduates from the world’s top 100 universities to enter Hong Kong before securing an employment offer.
Since its launch, the government has approved 49,000 applications in five months, exceeding the initial target of 35,000.
However, nearly 95 per cent of applicants are from mainland China.
It raises the question if Hong Kong’s appeal as an international city still stands, said experts.
“We need a lot of them, because Hong Kong needs to be better integrated with the Greater Bay Area and the overall Chinese economic development,” said Professor Tang Heiwai, director of the Asia Global Institute at the University of Hong Kong.
“But in the long run, with more vibrant economic developments in Hong Kong, I think there will be non-Chinese expatriates coming eventually, they need time to understand the situation.
“They need more than a few months to know whether Hong Kong is going to be their future home.”
Mr Lee said his administration is now considering further relaxing the requirements to bring more people in.
Navigating the geopolitical space has also been tricky for the United States-sanctioned leader, who has had to step up foreign diplomacy amid smouldering tensions between the US and China.
“I think he has been trying to do a little bit more of economic autonomy, economic diplomacy, while on the other hand, trying to integrate Hong Kong with the Greater Bay Area relying on mainland's strong economic and tourist support,” said Professor Sonny Lo, deputy director of the School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPACE) at The University of Hong Kong.
“So his strategy, economically speaking, is to reach out to foreign countries as far as possible, while relying on China's economic support by integrating into the Greater Bay Area.”
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INHERITING A DIVIDED HONG KONG
Mr Lee had inherited a divided Hong Kong, an effect of the 2019 social unrest.
He has doubled down on passing Article 23, Hong Kong’s own security law, latest by next year, to plug gaps in the Beijing-imposed National Security Law.
Beijing had made it clear that this was a key priority to ensure stability in the city.
Mr Lee has also acknowledged that bread and butter issues, such as land and housing provision, remain a daunting task, following years of conflicting views from interest groups.
Hong Kong’s housing crisis has been a contentious issue for every administration.
But there is some progress.
Mr Lee’s Light Public Housing Scheme, a short-term solution to subdivided housing, is expected to shorten the wait time for houses by 1.6 years.
Observers noted that his administration appears to have a stronger resolve in getting things done, perhaps due to closer ties with mainland China.
“A lot of people found that nothing has been done for a long period of time, particularly about the economy,” said Prof Tang.
“So given that we have been on the other side of the balance for so long, I am quite excited to see that now there are more actions. And let's see what happens to the economy before we get back to the discussion about having more consensus across the wide spectrum of society.”