Lam received the appointment from
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on 11 April 2017. Lam was sworn in by
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and
President Xi Jinping, on 1 July 2017, the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Special Administrative Region, becoming the first female Chief Executive.
Suppression of localists and independence supporters Disqualifications of localists In July 2017 weeks after Lam sworn in, four pro-democracy legislators
Leung Kwok-hung,
Yiu Chung-yim,
Nathan Law and
Lau Siu-lai who were legally challenged for their
oath-taking manners by the then Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and
Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen were disqualified by the court. The event caused the quick deterioration of the relations between the pro-democracy camp and the government after the strained relations had been improved compared to Lam's predecessor Leung Chun-ying. Lam pledged she would not target more pro-democrats in oath-taking controversy. In the
2018 Legislative Council by-election for four of the six vacancies left by the disqualified legislators,
Demosistō candidate
Agnes Chow was disqualified for her party's platform of calling for "self-determination". After the
European Union issued a statement warning that banning Chow from the by-election "risks diminishing Hong Kong’s international reputation as a free and open society", Lam defended the returning officer's decision, but denied that she had anything to do with the returning officer, stating that "there are absolutely no grounds for that sort of accusation or allegation of pressure." In the
November 2018 Kowloon West by-election, the candidacy of the ousted legislator Lau Siu-lai was also disqualified by the returning officer as she advocated for "self-determination" on her 2016 electoral platform. Her ally and elected legislator
Eddie Chu, who signed the same statement in the 2016 election, was also barred from running in the rural representative election in December 2018. Lam supported the Returning Officer's decision that "had been made in accordance with the Rural Representative Election Ordinance."
Ban on pro-independence party In July 2018, the
Hong Kong Police Force unprecedentedly served the convenor of the
pro-independence Hong Kong National Party Chan Ho-tin a notice under the
Societies Ordinance and sought to ban the Party. The police claimed that the party has engaged in
sedition and that the party may be banned on grounds of national security with respect to Chinese territorial integrity. The notice contained highly detailed surveillance material on the party leadership's public engagements. On 24 October 2018, Chan Ho-tin and party spokesman Jason Chow Ho-fai filed appeals against the ban with the Chief Executive and
Executive Council but were eventually rejected. In August, a controversy erupted in 2018 when the
Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) hosted a lunchtime talk with Chan Ho-tin on 14 August. A
Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet, vice-chairman of the press organisation, chaired the session. The event was opposed by the governments of China and Hong Kong, because the issue of independence supposedly crossed one of the "bottom lines" on national sovereignty. Upon returning to Hong Kong after a visit to Bangkok, Mallet was denied a working visa by the Hong Kong government. He was then subjected to a four-hour interrogation by immigration officers upon his return from Thailand on Sunday, 7 October before he was finally allowed to enter Hong Kong on a seven-day tourist visa. Carrie Lam refused to make any comment, only stating that the Immigration Department was not obliged to explain individual cases. The Bar Association criticised the arrangement for distortion of the Basic Law, stating it damages the rule of law in Hong Kong as Article 18 was clearly written and leaves no room for any interpretation which would allow Chinese law to apply in any certain part of HKSAR. Lam defended the bill and responded by stating that "some Hong Kong legal professionals have an elitist mentality or double standards, that is, they think that Hong Kong’s legal system is supreme, and that the mainland legal system – a big country with a 1.3 billion population – is wrong." Her statement prompted widespread disbelief as she appeared to defend Chinese legal system being better than Hong Kong's legal system which is derived from British system, accusing her of hypocrisy as she herself is seen as an elite out of touch with society, damaging the One Country, Two Systems principle and for attacking the character instead of the arguments of Hong Kong's lawyers. The long-debated plan was finally passed on 14 June 2018 in the Legislative Council by 40 to 20 votes after
Legislative Council President Andrew Leung capped debate time for the bill at 36 hours to counter pro-democrats' filibustering. The cross-border Express Rail Link was opened on 22 September 2018, followed by the opening of another cross-border infrastructure
Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge on 23 October 2018 by CCP general secretary Xi Jinping. Lam entering the venue side by side with Xi and ahead of
Macau Chief Executive Fernando Chui and
First Vice Premier Han Zheng. The entrance raised eyebrows among those who saw it as a departure from protocol for her to walk in front of top mainland officials. in her term of office in October 2018.
Lantau Tomorrow Vision In October 2018, Lam launched a development plan in her second
policy address which suggested the construction of artificial islands with a total area of about 1,700 hectares through massive
land reclamation near
Kau Yi Chau and
Hei Ling Chau of the eastern waters of
Lantau Island. The project meets with controversies and opposition for its high cost of estimated HK$500 billion (US$63.8 billion) – amounting to half of the city's fiscal reserves – as well as environmental concerns.
Late 2018 to early 2019 crises UGL case closure On 12 December 2018, the
Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) announced it would not take any "further investigative action" against former
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying over his receipt of HK$50 million from the Australian engineering firm
UGL, ending the four-year marathon probe. The
Department of Justice also issued a statement claiming there was "insufficient evidence to support a reasonable prospect of conviction" against Leung for any criminal offence. Carrie Lam defended
Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng who was strongly criticised for not following the conventional procedure of seeking external legal advice in the UGL case. Lam said Cheng had made a professional call and that she hoped the UGL saga, which had been a point of contention for four years, could finally end.
Age threshold of the elderly CSSA In January 2019, the Lam administration announced that the age threshold for elderly
Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) would jump from 60 to 65, starting in February. She faced opposition from both the pro-Beijing and pro-democracy legislators, in which she responded that it was the Legislative Council who approved the change in the CSSA scheme, as part of the 2018 Budget. Her remarks attracted backlashes from the legislators as well as the public. On 18 January, Lam backed down by announcing that people affected would get a new employment support supplement that would cover the cut. The Lam government also made a U-turn by suspending the controversial plan to impose a HK$200 penalty on Hong Kong's senior citizens claiming welfare payments without joining a job programme. Amid the UGL case and the mismanagements, the average score of Carrie Lam further plunged to a new low in mid January to 50.9 in the poll by the
University of Hong Kong, dropping 5.5 points from the previous month. Her net approval rating fell 21 percentage points to a new low. In another poll conducted by
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Lam scored the lowest point of only 50.9 percent – 1.8 percentage points lower than the previous month. Lam softened her tone after the widespread criticism. "The implementation of these measures has made people question the ability of this administration to govern," Lam said. "I completely accept this criticism."
Anti-extradition bill protests Introduction of the bill and opposition In mid-2019, the Lam government introduced
a bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance. This sparked opposition which expressed fears about the city opening itself to mainland Chinese law and urged the government to establish an extradition arrangement with Taiwan only. Lam insisted that she would proceed with the bill and that the Legislative Councillors must still pass new extradition laws before their summer break. Lam also claimed that the bill controversy had been "escalated" by foreign powers, allegedly seizing the opportunity to attack the mainland's legal system and human rights record. She survived the first motion of no-confidence against her with the backing of the pro-Beijing majority in the legislature on 29 May.
Democratic Party legislator
Andrew Wan who moved the motion claimed that Lam "blatantly lied" about the bill. The 9 June peaceful demonstration against the bill saw a new high number of over a million people marching in the streets as the organisers claimed, but the government issued a press statement, that it "acknowledge[s] and respect[s] that people have different views on a wide range of issues", but insisted the second reading debate on the bill would resume on 12 June. On the day of the second reading, the protest outside the government headquarters later descended into violent clashes with the police. Amid the clashes, Lam appeared in a
TVB interview where she was in tears when asked if she betrayed Hong Kong, replying "I grew up with all Hong Kong people and my love for this place has prompted me to make many personal sacrifices." Instead of selling out Hong Kong, she said her husband had told her that after she became Chief Executive she had "sold herself to Hong Kong". She said she had done nothing against her conscience and would not withdraw the bill. However within three hours, Lam released another video with a change of the tone, strongly reprimanding protesters for the "blatant, organised riot" and condemning it as "not an act of love for Hong Kong." After her tearful television interview failed to stop the intense violent clashes on 12 June, Carrie Lam announced a pause in the passage of the extradition bill on 15 June. On 16 June, nearly two million protesters, as claimed by the organisers, peacefully flooded the streets demanding a full withdrawal of the bill. In response, Lam apologised to Hong Kong residents, promised to "sincerely and humbly accept all criticism and to improve and serve the public", and repeatedly stated that the bill had already been suspended.
Persisting protests Teresa Cheng and
Secretary for Security John Lee one day after the massive protest on 10 June. The protests took a dramatic turn on 1 July, the 22nd anniversary of the
handover of Hong Kong as a group of protesters
stormed the Legislative Council Complex and vandalised the building, leaving graffiti such as "It was you who told me peaceful marches did not work." Lam refused to grant any of the five key demands requested by the protesters, namely the full withdrawal of the extradition bill, a commission of inquiry into the police misconduct, release and a possible
amnesty of the arrested protesters, the retraction of the categorisation of the protests as "riots" and universal suffrage of the Chief Executive and Legislative Council. As the protests intensified and spread to different districts of the city, Lam saw her support in August 2019 fall to a record low of 17 percent, with those opposed hitting 76 percent, according to a survey released by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute. Satisfaction with the SAR government fell to 14 percent, the lowest ever recorded in post-colonial times. Notwithstanding a 2017 pledge, she refused to resign, claiming the community needed her to "hold the fort". On 2 September 2019,
Reuters published a recording of a behind-the-door talk that Lam had given in late August 2019 to several businesspeople. Lam said that "for a Chief Executive to have caused this huge havoc to Hong Kong is unforgivable. It's just unforgivable. If I have a choice, the first thing is to quit, having made a deep apology, is to step down." She also said "the political room for [the Chief Executive who serves two masters, Beijing and the Hong Kong people] manoeuvering is very, very, very limited." Lam responded that the leak was "very inappropriate", and that she had "not even contemplated tendering resignation". Shortly after that, on 4 September Lam formally withdrew the bill after three months of unprecedented anti-government protests, but gave no sign of stepping down or conceding to any of the protesters' other four key demands. She only repeatedly stated that the
Complaints Against Police Office (CAPO), a unit within the Police Force, and the
Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC), a monitoring body, would still be able to handling the complaint cases as the accusations against police mismanagement, brutality and corruption mounted up, including the
July 21 Yuen Long attack and
August 31 Prince Edward station attack. Lam also held a dialogue session was held on 26 September as she pledged to communicate with the public, but no subsequent session has been held since then. Attempting to curb the ongoing protests, Carrie Lam on 4 October invoked the
Emergency Regulations Ordinance to impose a
law to ban wearing face masks in public gatherings which was later declared unconstitutional by the High Court in November. Protests and citywide flashmob rallies against the anti-mask law and the invocation of the emergency ordinance persisted throughout the month.
Electoral defeat and impeachment attempt In the
November District Council elections which were seen as a de facto referendum on the persisting protests, Lam's pro-Beijing camp suffered from the largest electoral defeat in Hong Kong history with pro-democrats gaining more than 240 seats, over 80 percent of the available seats, and controlling 17 of the 18 District Councils. Carrie Lam said that her government would "listen humbly" and "seriously reflect" on views expressed at the election and would set up an independent review committee to look at cause of social unrest, modelling on Britain's response to the
2011 Tottenham riots, fell short of the protesters' demand on an independent commission of inquiry. Shortly after the election,
U.S. President Donald Trump signed the
Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act which was previously passed overwhelmingly in the
United States Congress into law. Lam said she was disappointed by the passage of the Act, and said the Hong Kong freedom had not been eroded. In December, 25 pro-democrat legislators tabled an impeachment motion to form an independent investigative committee to examine claims that Lam's conduct constituted a "serious breach of the law and dereliction of duty". Despite the motion being defeated, with 36 voted "no" and 26 voted yes, Lam received criticism from both pro-democracy and pro-Beijing legislators for mishandling the extradition bill and the protests.
COVID-19 outbreak The months-long anti-government protests and the alleged initial mishandling of the
coronavirus outbreak cost Carrie Lam's substantial public support. A Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute survey in late January found 75 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with the government's response to the outbreak, while Lam's support rating sunk to nine percent in late February, the lowest on record for any leader. In February 2020, a confidential report by Carrie Lam to the central government revealed that Lam's attempt to win back the public trust and support by effectively handling the coronavirus outbreak in which she believed would serve as a political turnaround for the coming election. In March 2021, Lam complained that the public was not working with her administration to get vaccinated fast enough, stating "now we encourage people to take the vaccines, people don't do that." Earlier in February 2021, the government gave the Sinovac vaccine an exemption from an earlier requirement of having to publish third phase trial data in a medical journal before being approved for use in Hong Kong. Also in March 2021, Lam condemned some medical workers, claiming that they were "smearing" and "spreading fake news, misinformation" about Sinovac. In early August 2021, Lam announced that some sectors of workers would have to be vaccinated or otherwise pay for regular testing to continue to work. This measure has drawn criticism and approval. As of the date this announcement was made by Lam, only 36% of Hong Kong citizens had been fully vaccinated. On the morning of 14 June 2022, Lam stated that anti-epidemic measures would not be changed in the near future, and that "having considered the situation and of course the need to maintain a more stable infection situation in Hong Kong, we have decided that we will maintain the status quo up to the 30th of June, 2022". Later in the day, the government reversed course and announced the tightening of anti-epidemic measures, requiring people who go to bars and nightclubs to present a negative test within the past 24 hours.
National security legislation In May 2020, the Beijing authorities initiated a plan for implementing the national security law for Hong Kong which would prominently criminalise "separatism, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference", which many interpreted as a crackdown on civil liberties, government critics, and the
independence movement. Carrie Lam welcomed the adoption of the draft decision on national security law, stressing that the SAR government will "fully cooperate with the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) to complete the relevant work on legislation as soon as possible." The first concrete details of the legislation were announced on 15 June 2020, but by the time the NPCSC were approving final drafts on 29 June 2020, Carrie Lam had still not seen a draft of the law. In an interview with CNBC, last
British governor Chris Patten called Lam a "lamentable and quisling figure in Hong Kong history" for mishandling the city's political crisis which led to the national security law which, in his view, undermined the city's rule of law and judicial independence, posing a threat to the cherished freedoms that have allowed Hong Kong to thrive. On 14 October 2020, the United States Department of State released a report on 10 individuals who materially contributed to the failure of China to meet its obligations under the Sino–British Joint Declaration and Hong Kong's Basic Law. Lam was on the list. In November 2020, Lam said that the national security law was "remarkably effective" and that "After a year of social unrest with fear for personal safety, Hong Kong people can once again enjoy their basic rights and freedoms according to the law." Also, Lam said that she did not feel guilty for sparking the protests, and that "I do not feel guilty. What wrong have I done? I have introduced a piece of legislation for very good reasons." In contrast to her opinion, activist
Nathan Law said, after the expulsion of 4-pro democracy lawmakers from the Hong Kong Legislative Council, that "Erosion of Hong Kong's freedom has reached a new height." In January 2021, Lam said that
district councillors and all 1200 members of the
Chief Executive Election Committee should be considered as "public officers" under the national security law, and therefore be required to take an oath to swear loyalty to the government. On 25 January 2021, Lam claimed that the national security law protects people's rights and freedoms, and that "These important features have put our national security law on par with, if not superior to, similar national security laws in other jurisdictions, including the US." In August 2021, despite earlier claims, Lam said that rights and freedoms as guaranteed by the Basic Law may have to give way for "more important goals" such as national security, and said that "Human rights and freedoms are not absolute." In March 2021, Lam said that authorities would be on "full alert" to make sure museum exhibits do not violate the national security law, and also said "Would the art pieces to be displayed there breach the so-called red line? With the national security law in place, we have to safeguard national security." In January 2022, Lam said during the opening of the new legislative sessions under the "patriots only" election, that the government would broaden the crimes under the national security law, without specifying which offences would be included. In March 2022, after two British non-permanent judges resigned from the
Court of Final Appeal due to concerns their participation would be seen as supporting "an administration which has departed from values of political freedom, and freedom of expression", Lam said that "What I find very disturbing and I cannot accept is the association of their resignation with the implementation of the national security law or the practice of individual rights and freedoms in Hong Kong." In June 2022, Lam said that "People think there's no freedom but it's not the situation... Hong Kong is as free as ever," including "freedom of expression, in the freedom of assembly, in the media, and so on". Additionally, she said that the government had done a poor job at explaining the legal matter but ultimately did "not think the government made a mistake in introducing this bill".
Sanctions In August 2020, Lam and ten other officials were
sanctioned by the
U.S. Department of the Treasury under
Executive Order 13936 by President
Donald Trump for undermining Hong Kong's autonomy. The sanction is based on the
Hong Kong Autonomy Act and Lam would be listed in the
Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. As a result of the sanctions Lam has lost all access to banking services. She told the Hong Kong International Business Channel "I am using cash every day for everything. I have piles of cash at home because the government is paying my salary in cash.” Because
SWIFT and the U.S. dollar banking system is important to the international banking system not even Chinese state-owned banks would be willing to do business with sanctioned individuals. Lam stated that she regarded it as an honor to be "unjustifiably sanctioned" by the United States government.
Disqualification of lawmakers In November 2020, following the expulsion of 4 pro-democracy lawmakers from the Hong Kong Legislative Council, Lam revealed that it was she who had requested the
National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) for help with disqualifying the lawmakers. Earlier on 18 August 2020, Lam made a contradictory remark at a press conference, saying "As the NPCSC has made this decision to let all members of the current Legco perform their duties, then they can just return and perform. I am not the one who can tell whether they will come back or not." Also, she claimed that democratic reform would only further divide society. In March 2021, Lam said that she was "quite certain" that Hong Kong could still move towards universal suffrage. In April 2021, Lam accused
Emily Lau of "not understanding democracy." In September 2021, when speaking of Hong Kong's reforms to allow only "patriots" to serve in elections, Lam said that "In a way, it's a democratic system that suits Hong Kong better, because there are still elections." In November 2021, Lam said it was "wrong" to think that Beijing "owes" universal suffrage to Hong Kong. She has also criticised the West's "so-called democracy",
Criticism of teachers Even though Lam introduced the failed
Hong Kong extradition bill, Lam in November 2020 also said that the
2019–2020 Hong Kong protests were partially due to the city's teachers, and that the government will take "stringent actions" against teachers deemed "incompetent or found misconducted." Additionally, Lam said that "We cannot bear to see that with the infiltration of politics into school campuses, students are drawn into political turbulence or even misled to engage in illegal and violent acts." In December 2020, she reneged on the promise, stating that it would affect her "constitutional role."
Oath taking In response to the
Civil Service Bureau under
Patrick Nip mandating that all civil servants pledge an oath of loyalty to the government, Lam in January 2021 stated that she did not believe such an oath would hurt morale for civil servants, despite civil service unions expressing concern that the terms of the oath are too vague.
Dual nationality In February 2021, Lam stated that Hong Kong would begin to enforce a previously written law that does not recognize dual nationality; those of Chinese descent who were born in Hong Kong or mainland China would be considered Chinese nationals, regardless of their other passports. Lam said that those with other passports "will not be eligible for consular protection, including consular visits, so that is very clear." In addition, Lam denied that her poor performance was to blame for the decision of the central government to get involved with the implementation of "patriots" ruling the government. In March 2021, after the
NPCSC approved changes to only allow "patriots" to serve in the government, Lam claimed that those with different political beliefs would still be able to run for election, as long as they are patriots and comply with the national security law. In December 2021, during the first election cycle (
2021 Hong Kong legislative election) under the new rule, Lam dismissed concerns of low voter turnout, stating that low voter turnout "does not mean anything" and could mean citizens are satisfied with the government. One of her secretaries,
Erick Tsang, later provided a seemingly contradictory statement, saying that "Voter turnout could be affected by many factors. Some foreign forces or anti-Chinese elements have been befogging the minds of the people and urging them not to vote. We do not rule out that this could affect [people's enthusiasm]."
Zhao Lijan, mainland China's foreign ministry spokesperson, also blamed low voter turnout on "anti-China elements bent on destroying Hong Kong and the interference of external forces". Lam also stated that "So if you asked me today about what I said in 2017, 2018, 2019 as chief executive, I can tell you it's meaningless." Government regulations state that officials "must avoid any lavish, unreasonably generous or frequent entertainment that may lead to embarrassment in performing official duties or bring the civil service into disrepute", to which Lam retorted that "There's no definition of what a lavish dinner is. There's no definition of what is being unreasonable. At the end of the day, it's a matter of judgement." In January 2022, after
Citizen News shut down and cited "vague" laws, Lam claimed there was no direct link with
Stand News and
Citizen News closing and the national security law's impact on press freedom. Lam also deflected and said "You name me which western country does not have national security law. They have national security legislation far more draconian than the Hong Kong national security law, which is very well-defined."
Criticisms of COVID-19 spreaders In January 2022, Lam criticised and summoned the CEO and chair of
Cathay Pacific, after a former employee broke home quarantine rules and spread the
Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Hong Kong. Lam said "As senior management, they may not know every act of their employees, but this cannot be a liability-escape clause. As head of an organisation, just like me as the [Hong Kong] chief, I have to take responsibility for everything." A few days later, after a COVID-19 cluster was spread at a
birthday party hosted by Witman Hung Wai-man with 222 guests (many of them government officials), Lam was asked whether she should take responsibility for the government officials' actions. == Post Chief Executive ==