The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Sunday elected a new Chief Executive - Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, former HKSAR chief secretary.

Outgoing Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was elected chief executive in March 2012 and took office on July 1 the same year. Leung announced in late 2016 that he would not seek re-election in 2017 due to family reasons.

In 2017, the 63-year-old was elected as vice chairman of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s top political advisory body. ‍

Over the past five years, he has handled several major crises and controversies in Hong Kong politics, and kept promoting economic growth in the region. 

In October 2014, protesters in Hong Kong blocked traffic and called for Leung’s resignation, with the aim of getting what they called “a real election.” The demand was refused, and Beijing said the existing election system is in accordance with the Basic Law. After months of back and forth, Leung was able to resolve the crisis peacefully by the end of the same year. Protesters were dispersed and traffic blockades were removed without a single casualty. 

On the economic front, he highlighted economic and social issues including boosting innovation and technology, increasing housing supply and Hong Kong's engagement in the Belt and Road Initiative, when he was delivering his policy address for the year of 2017 in January. 

"We believe that only through economic development can we improve people's livelihood and promote social harmony and inclusion,” he said. 

Leung was instrumental in pushing for the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement or CEPA for Hong Kong, Macao, and Zhuhai. A cross-sea bridge linking the three areas is just the beginning of efforts to boost connectivity between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. Hopefully, this will allow Hong Kong to ride the wave of the mainland’s rapid development. 

Hong Kong will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its return to China in 2017.