Lee Sworn in as New Chief Executive

Lee and Xi stand together at the HK Convention Centre

Chinese President Xi Jinping came and went, and left behind a newly anointed John Lee Ka-chiu as the next chief executive of Hong Kong.

The entire swearing-in ceremony was conducted in Mandarin -- not Lee's strong suit -- but with the world watching, or rather the domestic Chinese audience watching, he had to oblige.

So many local Hong Kong and international media were barred from attending the event, and had to reply on pool feeds for pictures and video. This ensured the narrative did not veer from the script.

Lee's swearing-in was in Mandarin

After Lee was sworn in, he gave his first speech as Chief Executive. 

He said he took on the role of Hong Kong's leader with "humility", and thanked the central government for its support, and citizens for their trust, saying he would lead his team to do their best in building an "inclusive and energetic" Hong Kong.

Optimistic words, but hardly reflect the reality. Firstly, he does not have the mandate of Hongkongers, as they cannot directly vote for their leader, and how can he be "inclusive" when he helped former chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor shut down any kind of dissent from media outlets to civil society groups and political activists?

Lee added the implementation of the national security law allowed Hong Kong to return from chaos to order, and that the electoral overhaul of the Legislative Council enabled "patriots ruling Hong Kong".

Meanwhile Xi, Lee's boss, said in his speech that the "one country, two systems" framework had proven successful so there was no reason to change it.

He described it as "a great initiative with no precedent to follow", and that it is to uphold the nation's sovereignty, security and development interests, and to maintain long-term prosperity and stability in both Hong Kong and Macau.

Lee's new cabinet is hardly social-distanced...

How are Hong Kong and nearby Macau going to achieve prosperity when China refuses to open the border with Hong Kong and Macau, and that Beijing is cracking down on gambling, the dominant source of income for the former Portuguese enclave?

"Today I wish to highlight once more that the policy of 'one country, two systems' having been tested and proved time and again, meets the fundamental interests of the country and the Chinese nation and those of Hong Kong and Macau," Xi said.

"It enjoys the full support of the more than 1.4 billion people of the motherland, it has the unanimous endorsement of Hong Kong and Macau residents, and it is widely recognised by the international community. There is no reason to change such a good system, and it must be adhered to over the long run."

Ah yes, the support of more than 1.4 billion people! They had no say on how Hong Kong is governed -- they are only told how the city is governed.

But the reasoning goes if it's been endorsed by 1.4 billion people, then "one country, two systems" must be be right, right? 

It's a pity that the British side and the Chinese side have two completely different definitions of "one country, two systems", or perhaps Beijing kept its cards really close to its chest until now?

Either way it's Hongkongers who lose. Those who want to cut their losses are taking a leap of faith to leave Hong Kong and start new lives again. Those who refuse to leave feel that departing would be a sign of giving up.