Dominic Lee

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The Honourable
Dominic Lee
李梓敬
Lee in 2018
Member of the Legislative Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 January 2022
Preceded byNew constituency
ConstituencyNew Territories North East
Member of the Sham Shui Po District Council
In office
1 January 2016 – 31 December 2019
Preceded byJimmy Kwok
Succeeded byLau Wai-chung
ConstituencyYau Yat Tsuen
Personal details
Born (1984-01-22) 22 January 1984
Hong Kong
PartyNew People's Party (2020–present)
Civil Force (2020–present)
Liberal Party (2009–2020)
EducationRice University (BS)
City University of Hong Kong (JD)
OccupationCompany director
Websitehttps://www.leedominic.com/

Dominic Lee Tsz-king (Chinese: 李梓敬; born 22 January 1984) is a Hong Kong politician. He is a member of the New People's Party and a Legislative Council Member representing the New Territories North East. He is a former member of the Sham Shui Po District Council for Yau Yat Tsuen from 2015 to 2019 and the former chairman of the Liberal Party Youth Committee.

Early life and career

Dominic Lee Tsz-king was born in Hong Kong on 22 January 1984 to an upper-middle-class family. He studied at Diocesan Boys' School and the Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong before going abroad and graduated from Rice University in 2006 with a degree in economics. He worked as an assistant in his campus polling station for Democratic Party US presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004 and later worked as an intern for Democrat Al Green in the US House of Representatives.[1]

Political career

Liberal Party

Lee joined the pro-business conservative Liberal Party in 2009 after he returned to Hong Kong. During the 2004 Hong Kong legislative election, he helped Liberal Party chairman James Tien to win a seat representing New Territories East. Lee became the first chairman of the party's youth committee when it was established in 2011.

In the 2011 District Council elections, Lee ran in Shek Lei Extension but was defeated by Democratic Party incumbent Leung Kwok-wah. In the 2015 District Council elections, Lee ran in the Yau Yat Tsuen constituency and won against League of Social Democrats candidate Dickson Chau Ka-faat, succeeding council chairman Jimmy Kwok Chun-wah as member of the Sham Shui Po District Council.

In 2016, Lee was nominated by the Liberal Party to run in the 2016 Hong Kong legislative election in New Territories East with the support of incumbent legislator and party honorary chairman James Tien. However, the Liberal party ticket narrowly missed out on winning the seat. In the 2019 District Council elections, Lee narrowly lost his District Council seat in Yau Yat Tsuen to independent barrister Lau Wai-chung by 96 votes.[2]

Opposition to universal retirement protection

Lee is known for his strong words in opposition to universal retirement protection. In 2014, he was criticized by an elderly woman over the topic during a legislative council public hearing, which went viral on the Internet.

Immigration and refugees

In 2015, Lee supported the government's plan to scrap visa-free facility for Indians, defending the move as a "sacrifice to protect our borders".[3] In 2016, he led the Alliance Demanding Repatriation of Refugees against "fake" refugees from Southeast Asia coming into Hong Kong.[4] Moreover, he demanded quitting the United Nations Convention against Torture to block "fake" refugees from coming to Hong Kong.[5] In May that year, he led an anti-refugee protest which drew 100 to 200 people as well as counter-protesters.[6] Claiming that there was a refugee-led crime surge in Hong Kong and that South Asians should be locked up in internment camps, Access to Information requests from Justice Centre Hong Kong have debunked these fears as not being based upon any measurable increase in crime.[7]

Ladies' night

In April 2016, Lee led a protest in Lan Kwai Fong against the Equal Opportunities Commission's ruling of "ladies' night" being discriminatory.[8] Lee supported bar and nightclub operators in favor of resuming ladies' night to avoid potential losses of revenue.

Same-sex marriage

In 2018, Lee claimed that civil unions and gay marriage will “encourage” people to adopt LGBTQ lifestyles in response to Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal's ruling which stated that spousal visas may be granted to same-sex couples in civil unions.[9]

New People's Party and Civil Force

While an active member of the Liberal Party, Lee ran for the 2020 primary of the New People's Party for the Legislative Council election in the New Territories East constituency.[10] As a result, his membership with the Liberal Party was revoked by party leader Felix Chung.[11] Later that night, Lee announced his resignation as the member of Liberal Party[12] and joined New People's Party and Civil Force,[13][14] a district-based political coalition that was established in 2014[15] by Chairperson of the New People's Party, Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee.[16]

In the 2021 Hong Kong legislative election, Lee was elected to the Legislative Council representing New Territories North East (2021 constituency) with 45.35 percent of the vote. Lee is one among five members of the New People's Party to be elected to the Legislative Council and will serve a four-year term.

Xinjiang

In March 2021, after some companies boycotted purchasing cotton from Xinjiang due to suspected human rights violations, Lee said that some leaders of Western countries and Western media had falsely understood the situation in Xinjiang and have leveled allegations without evidence.[17]

Name recognition

In April 2023, a survey of more than 1000 Hongkongers showed that only 4% of respondents recognized Lee as a lawmaker.[18]

Criticism of Carrie Lam

In April 2024, Lee criticized former Chief Executive Carrie Lam's office space, saying "Why does a former chief executive need to rent such space?"[19]

United Nations Human Rights Council speech

Lee defended the election of Hong Kong's newly reformed Election Committee as a massive success on 23 September 2021 during the 48th UNHRC Side Meeting, stating that the idea that one's government should only be led by patriots is not only unique to Hong Kong but is also a universal value among western countries. Lee called US politicians on "double standards" for only allowing patriots to be elected in office while criticising Hong Kong's "patriots-only" election as an act of "restricting democratic freedoms" and an "assault on democratic institutions".[20]

Lee attacked the United States and Israel over the Gaza war, upheld the 2020 Hong Kong national security law, and morally challenged the United Kingdom and NATO in a speech to the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on 18 March 2026, which became a viral video with more than 200K views on China Xinhua News.[21] Lee was praised on social media for speaking against war, according to an article from Hong Kong Free Press. Lee claimed the UK "arrested over 12,000 of its own people for posting online" and that tourism in Hong Kong has "flourished" since the implementing of the security law.[21]

Political positions

Part of the pro-Beijing camp, Lee is vocal about his conservative stances on the economy, immigration, and social issues.[21]

References

  1. "【林‧作人】堅守政治理念的李梓敬（林作）". Next Plus. 22 February 2016. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017.
  2. "2019 District Councils Election – Election Results (Sham Shui Po)". Government of Hong Kong. 25 November 2019.
  3. "HK reportedly drops scrapping visa-free facility for Indians". Deccan Herald. 19 May 2015.
  4. Leung, Michael (18 January 2016). "Hong Kong's 'fake' refugee problem is just bigotry in disguise". Hong Kong Free Press.
  5. "NGOs hit back as CY says gov't may quit UN torture convention to block 'fake' refugees". Hong Kong Free Press. 14 January 2016.
  6. "HKFP Lens: 'Gas them' – Activists satirise anti-refugee campaigners at competing rallies". Hong Kong Free Press. 9 May 2016.
  7. "Guest Post: A Data Driven Look At Refugee Crime | Open Data Hong Kong - 香港開放數據". Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  8. Lau, Kenneth (19 April 2016). "Party people move for ladies' night". The Standard.
  9. "Anti-gay politician Dominic Lee claims same-sex marriage 'encourages' LGBTQ lifestyles". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  10. "【01獨家】新民黨擬推李梓敬選新東 取代容海恩 李：下周有決定". 6 March 2020.
  11. "李梓敬參加新民黨初選 鍾國斌：如不退黨中常委將開會革黨籍".
  12. "【立會選舉】參與新民黨初選 李梓敬宣布退出自由黨". Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  13. "【立法會選舉】李梓敬「轉會」公民力量避談自由黨：感激過往栽培". 28 March 2020.
  14. 彭焯煒; 翟睿敏 (20 March 2020). "【立法會選舉】新民黨初選 李梓敬取9提名「入閘」 葉劉獲豁免". Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  15. 新民黨宣布與公民力量結成聯盟. Radio Television Hong Kong (in Chinese). 12 February 2014.
  16. 新民黨與公民力量結盟葉劉淑儀否認吞併. Metro Radio (in Chinese). 12 February 2014.
  17. "李梓敬到H&M抗議籲市民罷買 潘國山穿Nike因環保不燒鞋". Sing Tao Daily (in Chinese). 27 March 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  18. Mok, Lea (14 April 2023). "Half of Hongkongers unable to name any serving lawmaker, poll finds". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  19. "Annual operating costs for offices of ex-Hong Kong leaders reach HK$21 million". South China Morning Post. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  20. Dominic Lee 李梓敬 (24 September 2021). US Interference of HK Elections Exposed! 48th UNHRC Side Meeting 聯合國再發言，揭美國干預香港選舉鐵證|李梓敬 21-9-23 中英字幕. Retrieved 23 June 2026 – via YouTube.
  21. Grundy, Tom (29 March 2026). "Fact-checking pro-Beijing lawmaker Dominic Lee after he slams West, defends security law in viral UN speech". Hong Kong Free Press. Archived from the original on 29 March 2026. Retrieved 29 March 2026.