His appointment is being widely seen as a move by the Chinese government to tighten its grip on the city, reports BBC.

Known as a staunch Beijing supporter, Lee oversaw the sometimes violent crackdowns on pro-democracy protestors in 2019, reports the British media.

He stepped into the shoes of  outgoing chief executive Carrie Lam.

She had served the city since 2017.

Lee, who was the former Chief Secretary and the city's second-highest ranking official, was always tipped to be the favoured replacement for Lam who earlier announced that she would not seek a second term in office, BBC reported.