Starry Lee

Starry Lee
李慧琼
Lee in January 2026
4th President of the Legislative Council
Assumed office
8 January 2026 (2026-01-08)
Preceded byAndrew Leung
Member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
Assumed office
11 March 2023
Preceded byTam Yiu-chung
Chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
In office
17 April 2015 – 25 September 2023
Preceded byTam Yiu-chung
Succeeded byGary Chan
Member of the Executive Council
In office
1 July 2012 – 17 March 2016
Appointed byLeung Chun-ying
Preceded byLau Kong-wah
Succeeded byIp Kwok-him
Member of the Legislative Council
Assumed office
1 January 2022
Preceded byNew constituency
ConstituencyKowloon Central
In office
1 October 2012 – 31 December 2021
Preceded byNew constituency
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
ConstituencyDistrict Council (Second)
In office
1 October 2008 – 30 September 2012
Preceded byTsang Yok-sing
Succeeded byAnn Chiang
ConstituencyKowloon West
Member of the Kowloon City District Council
In office
1 January 2000 – 31 December 2023
Preceded byNew constituency
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
ConstituencyTo Kwa Wan North
Personal details
Born (1974-03-13) 13 March 1974
PartyDemocratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
Children1
EducationHong Kong University of Science and Technology (BBA)
University of Manchester (MBA)
OccupationCouncillor
ProfessionAccountant
Signature
Starry Lee
Chinese李慧琼
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLǐ Huìqióng
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationLéih Waih-kìhng
JyutpingLei5 Wai6-king4

Starry Lee Wai-king SBS JP (Chinese: 李慧琼, born 13 March 1974) is a Hong Kong politician serving as the 4th President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong since 2026 and has been Hong Kong's only representative in the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress since 2023.

She has been a member of the Legislative Council since 2008 and chaired the largest pro-Beijing party in the city, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), from 2015 to 2023. She was also a member of the Executive Council from 2012 to 2016.

Early life and education

Lee was born on 13 March 1974 in Hong Kong into a working-class family and was raised in Ping Shek Estate,[1] a public housing development.[2] She attended Ping Shek Estate Catholic Primary School and FDBWA Szeto Ho Secondary School,[3] where she was a head prefect in Form 6.[4]

She attained A grades for accounting and history in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination. When considering the two subject areas as career paths, her parents persuaded her to become an accountant because they belived professionals led a more stable life.[1] She studied accounting at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, during which she was part of the debate team.[5][6]: 41  She graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1996.[6]: 41 

After graduation, Lee became an accountant and worked for KPMG in Hong Kong.[7]: 46 [8] Before working for KPMG Hong Kong, Lee had also been employed by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Crowe Hong Kong.[9]

She then obtained a Master of Business Administration from the University of Manchester in 2010 and a doctoral degree in laws from Tsinghua University in 2024.[9]

District Council career

In the 1990s, Lee received political mentorship from Li Lin, a pro-Beijing district councillor.[7] At a self-improvement course, Lee met lawyer and DAB member Chiu Tse-kuen, who was running in the 1999 district council elections for To Kwa Wan North, where Lee lived. He invited her to campaign and visit contituents with him. However, when submitting his candidacy, Chiu discovered that he had not declared a change of address and was therefore ineligible to stand. Lee's efforts on the campaign impressed the party leadership, leading her to run in place of Chiu as a pro-Beijing independent.[10]: 233  A member of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, she campaigned as a unionist.[11]

After a month of campaigning,[10]: 233  Lee was elected with 965 votes (70.6%), more than double the votes for incumbent candidate Lam Ming, who received 402 votes (29.4%).[12] At 26, Lee became the youngest district councillor.[8]

She defended her seat with a wide margin in the 2003 elections with 1,392 votes (72.7%), defeating Richard Tse, who took 523 votes (27.3%).[13] That was despite a political environment unfavourable to the pro-Beijing camp.[14]: 212 [15] In 2003, the camp faced its worst electoral defeat after the Hong Kong government tabled a controversial national security bill, overall unpopularity of the Tung Chee-hwa government and during economic malaise caused by the SARS epidemic.

In June 2004, she joined the DAB as the party sought wider support beyond its working-class base.[14]: 212–215  Along with Horace Cheung, Gary Chan, and Ben Chan, Lee was considered part of the party's "second-tier" members of mostly younger professionals.[10]: 232 

After Tsang resigned as party leader for the DAB's poor performance at the election, he recruited Lee to join his candidate list for the 2004 Legislative Council election to target young, professional and female voters.[16][17]: 205–209 [10]: 233  She was listed third on a ticket of three candidates[18]: 120  and helped Tsang to win a seat in Kowloon West. By 2005, the party had targeted Lee for training, with Tsang as her mentor.[19]: 181 [20]

Legislative Council career

In the 2008 Legislative Council election, Tsang switched his constituency to Hong Kong Island, allowing Lee to stand for the vacant seat he left in Kowloon West. Her campaign was run by Kan Chi-ho, who was also Tsang's campaign manager. Kan took Lee to meet community leaders to seek their support.[14]: 215–216  She was ranked first on the candidate list, before Chung Kong-mo, Chan Wai-ming, and Vincent Cheng.[21]: 113 

Lee's list received 39,013 votes (18.9%), the most in the constituency,[21]: 113  allowing her to join the Legislative Council. As a new legislator, she was unfamiliar with many public policy issues and found it difficult understand them in a short period of time.[14]: 216 

In 2011, she was elected vice-chairwoman of the party.[22]

In 2012, she was appointed to the Executive Council by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. At the time, she was the only person to hold positions in three different levels of representative councils, the Executive, Legislative and District Councils. She served on the Executive Council until her resignation in March 2016 to focus on her work on the Legislative Council and the party. Her position was taken by Ip Kwok-him, a long-time DAB legislator.[23]

In the 2012 Legislative Council election, Lee left Kowloon West to contest one of five seats in the new District Council (Second) functional constituency that is elected by all voters in Hong Kong. Her ticket received 277,143 votes (17.4%), the second-most votes received behind the ticket of the Democratic Party's James To that received 316,468 votes (19.9%).[24]: 156 

On 17 April 2015, she replaced Tam Yiu-chung as the leader of the DAB, making her the first woman to hold the post.[25] She was the youngest party chairperson at age 41; the transition was described as a generational shift.[15][26][27] DAB legislator Leung Che-cheung commented that Lee was qualified but inexperienced to assert authority, unlike veteran politicians such as Tam or Ip Kwok-him.[15] Lee said that the party did not operate by personal authority but consultation and discussion.[28]

On becoming leader, Lee said she aimed to take more seats in the 2015 District Council elections by focusing on voters who were against the 2014 Hong Kong protests, and to continue to support universal suffrage in Chief Executive elections from 2017.

In March 2016, she resigned from the Executive Council to focus on the DAB.[29]

After Lee was re-elected in the 2016 election, she succeeded Andrew Leung of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) as the House Committee chairperson, the second-highest office in the Legislative Council.

On 18 May 2020, Lee was re-elected as House Committee chairperson. Prior to the vote, Chan Kin-por, the nominee of Legislative Council president Andrew Leung, had taken the seat of the presiding member – a position which had been held since October 2019 by pro-democrat Dennis Kwok – with the help of security personnel, and 15 pro-democratic lawmakers had been removed from the meeting room after scuffles had broken out; during Lee's election, three pro-democrats sat outside the room in protest. After the physical removal of the pro-democratic lawmakers, Lee was elected.[30][31]

In March 2021, Lee supported changes that would reduce the power of Legislative Council members, claiming that opposition members had blocked legislation and caused a power vacuum.[32]

In October 2021, Lee and fellow lawmaker Holden Chow were criticised by the mother of Amber Poon, claiming that Lee and Chow were "vanishing" after holding a press conference in 2019 with her, to push forward the 2019 Hong Kong extradition bill.[33]

During the 2021 Hong Kong legislative election, Lee dismissed concerns that the record-low voter turnout of 30.2% was problematic.[34]

In December 2021, Lee was re-elected through Kowloon Central constituency with 95,976 votes.[35]

In January 2022, Lee, Andrew Leung and Ma Fung-kwok pushed for the Chinese national emblem to be permanently added to the Legislative Council chamber.[36] Leung had earlier said it would be only temporary for the swearing in of lawmakers.[36]

In August, Lee announced that 16 members of the DAB would travel overseas to clarify any "misunderstandings" businesspeople may have about Hong Kong.[37]

In November, after a rugby match in South Korea played Glory to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong team, Lee said that Asia Rugby should apologise to "the entire [Chinese] population."[38]

President of the Legislative Council

In September 2025, Andrew Leung announced his intention not to seek re-election as the President of the Legislative Council after the end of the 7th legislative session.[39] In the legislative election in December, Lee was re-elected through Kowloon Central with 53,529 votes (41.2%), a plurality in the constituency.[40]

On 2 January 2026, 10 Legislative Council members nominated Lee to run for President of the Legislative Council. Colleagues who supported her included Liberal Party Chairman Peter Shiu, priest Peter Douglas Koon, businessman Andrew Lam Siu-lo, and DAB members Ben Chan and Jody Kwok.[41] In the chamber before the vote, Lee said once elected she would no longer take part in meetings or decision-making of the DAB parliamentary group. She also promised "on principle" to abstain from voting on resolutions or expressing her opinion on policy issues. On policy, she said the council should accommodate the national 15th Five-Year Plan and cooperate with the Hong Kong executive branch under an "executive-led" system[42] — a system of governance that favours a strong executive of career officials loyal to Beijing with weaker power and checks and balances from the legislative branch.[43]: 44–45  Lee narrowly defeated Chan Chun-ying, the pro-Beijing legislator for the finance sector, with 47 against Chan's 42.[44]

National politics

In 2018, she was invited to sit on the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).[45]

In February 2022, Lee did not attend the 2022 Two Sessions as a Hong Kong delegate.[46]

In March 2023, Lee was elected to the National People's Congress and succeeded Tam Yiu-chung as Hong Kong's delegate to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC).[47] In August, she announced that she would not seek re-election as DAB chair because of "limited time and work capability".[48] Gary Chan succeeded her as party leader a month later.[49]

Political positions

Education

Lee opposed abolishing the Territory-wide System Assessment for Primary 3 students in 2015.[50]

Same-sex relationships

Lee did not attend the 2026 vote on the Registration of Same-sex Partnerships Bill, which proposed a framework to grant limited legal rights to same-sex partnerships recognised outside Hong Kong. She said she understood that same-sex partners "faced difficulties" in areas such as hospital visitation rights and inheritance, but said the government should consider solutions without resorting to legislation.[51]

Personal life

Lee has a daughter with her husband, who works in the logistics industry.[52]

See also

References

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  2. ^ Chan, Bernard (30 April 2015). "Breaking the mould in Hong Kong politics". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 2 June 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  3. ^ "Li Huiqiong dangxuan Quanguo Renda Changweihui weiyuan cheng Xianggang lilai zui nianqing weiyuan" 李慧琼当选全国人大常委会委员 成香港历来最年轻委员 [Lee Wai-king Elected to National People's Congress Standing Committee, Becoming Hong Kong's Youngest-Ever Member]. Bauhinia Magazine. Hong Kong. 11 March 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2026.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "Zong lingxiusheng lijie mingdan" 總領袖生歷屆名單 [List of Past Head Prefects]. FDBWA Szeto Ho Secondary School (in Chinese (Hong Kong)).
  5. ^ Cheng, Po-sang (29 September 2022). "Zhengtan zhushiding | Li Huiqiong huo ban Keda rongyu yuanshi zibao dushi shi you yi hanshi" 政壇諸事町︱李慧琼獲頒科大榮譽院士 自爆讀書時有一憾事 [Political Scene | Starry Lee Awarded Honorary Fellowship at HKUST, Reveals Regret from Student Days]. HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)).
  6. ^ a b Chan, Tony F. (2018). "Building and Sustaining Academic Excellence: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology". In Philip G., Altbach; Reisberg, Liz; Jamil, Salmi; Froumin, Isak (eds.). Accelerated Universities: Ideas and Money Combine to Build Academic Excellence (PDF). Brill Sense. doi:10.1163/9789004366107_003.
  7. ^ a b Lo, Sonny Shiu-Hing; Hung, Steven Chung-Fun; Loo, Jeff Hai-Chi (2019). China's New United Front Work in Hong Kong: Penetrative Politics and Its Implications. Palgrave Macmillan. doi:10.1007/978-981-13-8483-7. ISBN 978-981-1384-82-0.
  8. ^ a b Tsang, Jasper Yok-sing (6 May 2008). "Laws of attraction". Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  9. ^ a b Declaration of the Final Dividend, Repurchase Mandate and General Mandate, Proposed Re-Election of Retiring Directors, Appointment of Independent Non-Executive Director and Notice of Annual General Meeting (PDF) (Report). 30 April 2024.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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  18. ^ Wong, Pik-Wan; Lee, Eliza W. Y. (2009). "Gender and Political Participation in Hong Kong: Colonial Legacies and Postcolonial Development". In Cheung, Fanny M.; Holroyd, Eleanor (eds.). Mainstreaming Gender in Hong Kong Society. The Chinese University Press. ISBN 978-962-996-358-3. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
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  20. ^ Dupré, Jean-François (2022). "Making Hong Kong Chinese: State Nationalism and its Blowbacks in a Recalcitrant City". In Cetrà, Daniel; Swan, Coree Brown (eds.). State and Majority Nationalism in Plurinational States (1 ed.). Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003352815.
  21. ^ a b "Appendix VIII: Results of General Election: Geographical Constituencies". Report on the 2008 Legislative Council Election Held on 7 September 2008 (Report). Hong Kong: Electoral Affairs Commission. 4 December 2008. Retrieved 13 February 2026.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ Mok, Danny (20 April 2011). "Starry Lee new DAB vice-chairwoman". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 11 February 2016.
  23. ^ Wong, Hermina (17 March 2016). "CY Leung appoints Ip Kwok-him to Executive Council following Starry Lee's resignation". Hong Kong Free Press.
  24. ^ Electoral Affairs Commission (22 November 2012). Report on the 2012 Legislative Council Election Held on 9 September 2012 (Report).
  25. ^ "Minjianlian lingdao ceng gai xuan Li Huiqiong dangxuan zhuxi" 民建聯領導層改選 李慧琼當選主席 [DAB leadership change ranks, Lee Wai-king elected president]. Radio Television Hong Kong (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 17 April 2015. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015.
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  27. ^ "Li Huiqiong jieren Minjianlian zhuxi wancheng xinjiu jiaoti ji you tian pairen xuan teshou" 李慧琼接任民建聯主席 完成新舊交替 冀有天派人選特首 [Starry Lee takes over as chairman of DAB, completing the transition from the old to the new, and hopes to appoint the chief executive candidate one day]. Hong Kong Economic Journal (in Traditional Chinese). 18 April 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  28. ^ "民建聯領導層改選李慧琼當選主席". RTHK. 17 April 2015. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015.
  29. ^ "Ye Guoqian dui huo weiren Xinghui chengyuan gan gaoxing" 葉國謙對獲委任行會成員感高興 [Yip Kwok-him expressed delight at appointment to Executive Council]. Now News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 17 March 2016. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021.
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  33. ^ "Hong Kong lawmakers and gov't officials shun meeting with mother of murder victim, security chief points to Taiwan". Hong Kong Free Press. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
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  35. ^ "2021 Legislative Council General Election - Election Results". www.elections.gov.hk. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  36. ^ a b Lam, Moon. "Legco chamber gets 'solemn' makeover". The Standard. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  37. ^ "DAB to visit ASEAN countries to promote Hong Kong - RTHK". news.rthk.hk. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  38. ^ Ho, Kelly (14 November 2022). "National security police should investigate anthem error at rugby match, Hong Kong lawmakers say". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  39. ^ Poon, Phoebe (29 September 2025). "LegCo president Andrew Leung to step down after nine years of service". The Standard.
  40. ^ "2025 Legislative Council General Election - Election Results". Registration and Electoral Office. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  41. ^ "Chen Zhenying Li Huiqiong zheng Lihui zhuxi zhousi fenxiao jiang ban luntan shu gangling dawen duo dang cheng bu kunbang toupiao" 陳振英李慧琼爭立會主席 周四分曉 將辦論壇述綱領答問 多黨稱不綑綁投票 [Chan Chun-ying and Lee Wai-king vie for Legislative Council presidency, outcome to be decided Thursday, forum to be held to outline platforms and answer questions, multiple parties say no bloc voting]. Ming Pao 明報 (in Traditional Chinese). 3 January 2026. Archived from the original on 8 January 2026. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  42. ^ 李慧琼當選立會主席 下周議火災 提「行政主導」原則 盼立會對接「十五五」 [Lee Wai-king Elected Legislative Council President To Address Legislative Council Issues Next Week Proposes "Executive-Led" Principle Hopes Legislative Council Will Align with "15th Five-Year Plan"]. Ming Pao 明報 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 9 January 2026. Archived from the original on 12 January 2026.
  43. ^ Cheung, Anthony P. L. (2002). "The Changing Political System: Executive-led Governance or "Disabled" Governance?". In Liu, Zhaojia; Lau, Siu-kai (eds.). The First Tung Chee-hwa Administration: The First Five Years of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region. The Chinese University Press. ISBN 978-962-996-015-5. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  44. ^ Cheng, Matthew (8 January 2026). "Hong Kong's Starry Lee secures Legco presidency after 5-vote win over Ronick Chan". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  45. ^ "Zhengxie mingdan chulu Jingminlian fengshou 4 qian gaoguan shang bang" 政協名單出爐 經民聯豐收 4前高官上榜 [CPPCC list released, great result for BPA, four former officials also on list]. Ming Pao Canada (in Traditional Chinese). 26 January 2016. Archived from the original on 22 January 2026.
  46. ^ Lau, Chris (19 February 2022). "Beijing loyalists in Hong Kong weigh options on attending key political meetings". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  47. ^ Cheng, Lilian; Chan, Kahon; Wu, Willa (11 March 2023). "Starry Lee becomes sole Hong Kong member of nation's top legislative body". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  48. ^ Ng, Kang-chung (9 August 2023). "Hong Kong politician Starry Lee to quit as DAB leader after 8 years in role". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  49. ^ Wu, Willa (25 September 2023). "Hong Kong's DAB elects new head who vows 'good governance' focus over vote chase". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  50. ^ "被批評撐TSA 李慧琼:女兒聽到後感不開心" Bei piping cheng TSA Li Huiqiong: Nuer tingdao hou gan bu kaixin. Hong Kong Economic Times (in Traditional Chinese). 30 November 2015.
  51. ^ "Li Huiqiong quexi tongzhi caoan toupiao chang yi lifa wai shouduan chuli" 李慧琼缺席同志草案投票 倡以立法外手段處理 [Lee Wai-king absent from vote on LGBT draft bill, advocates for extralegal means to address issue].
  52. ^ "You yohui dao jiating Li Huiqiong sijiao guanxi" 由議會到家庭 李慧琼4角關係 [From Council to Family: Starry Lee's Four-Way Relationship]. Recruit Magazine (in Traditional Chinese). 12 March 2010.