Becoming More Like China Than China

The Chinese Communist Party cannot stand a weak, ineffective leader — such as Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s previous chief executive. When she came up for reelection two years ago in a process dominated by Beijing, she “chose” not to run again. The CCP anointed John Lee Ka-chiu, Lam’s head of security, who easily won the territory’s top position.

This, after Lam went all in for her ChiCom masters against the people of Hong Kong. She proposed an extradition bill that would have allowed Hong Kongers to be seized by China for whatever crime the party alleged. Until then the Chinese government had to informally abduct those who resisted its wishes, including publishers of books unkind to the denizens of Zhongnanhai, the famed leadership compound in Beijing.