‘Bad boys’ or good lawmakers? A look at the year’s first fiery exchanges between Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and new legislators

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Several Beijing loyalists adopted an adversarial stance as self-styled “bad boys” daring to hold the government accountable at the inaugural meeting of the new legislative term in Hong Kong on Wednesday.

Analysts said the legislators, newly elected under Beijing’s “patriots-only” electoral overhaul, were keen to prove to the central government and residents that they were willing to challenge Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor at a time of mounting dissatisfaction with government performance.