Responsibility for leading the city of 7.5 million would fall initially to Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung. Hong Kong’s Basic Law -- the “mini-constitution” drafted before the former British colony’s return to China in 1997 -- says the chief secretary can act as chief executive for as long as six months. The Financial Times report described former Hong Kong Monetary Authority head Norman Chan and former Chief Secretary Henry Tang as leading candidates. When Tung stepped down, China’s parliament interpreted the Basic Law to mean the new leader would serve the remainder of the old term. But that decision “uses language that makes clear that interpretation is not applicable in future situations,” according to Danny Gittings, a legal scholar and author of “Introduction to the Hong Kong Basic Law.” Theoretically, China could decide differently this time around.

Source: Washington Post October 23, 2019 06:45 UTC