Hong Kong policy address: 5 key takeaways from Carrie Lam’s speech
- In the final speech of her term, Lam spoke about building new public housing in the city’s North district and proposed a new bureau for sports, culture and tourism
- The chief executive offered to give teachers a class on Hong Kong’s constitutional status and ‘one country, two systems’
Chief Executive Carrie Lam gave the final policy address of her term on Wednesday. Photo: SCMP/Felix Wong
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor delivered the final policy address of her five-year term on Wednesday. The emotional Lam held back tears as she wrapped up the address, which mainly focused on housing and land supply in Hong Kong.
“Being Chief Executive was my greatest honour in my 41 years of public service, and the biggest challenge,” she said. Lam has about six months remaining in her term until the chief executive election, and it is still unknown whether she will bid for a second term.
Hours after her speech, the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute released the results of a poll of 610 people, who gave the policy address an average score of 34.2, with 100 being the full score. Her scores were 27.2 last year, 29.7 in 2019, 48.5 in 2018, and 62.4 in 2017.
Here are five key takeaways from her state of the union address.
Housing and population growth
Lam said the government has identified about 350 hectares of land on which to build 330,000 public housing units by 2032, meeting the estimated public housing demand of about 301,000 units over the next decade.
To cater for population growth, Lam proposed developing the northern part of Hong Kong into a metropolitan area called the Northern Metropolis for people to live, work and travel. It will cover Yuen Long and the North District, with a total land area of about 30,000 hectares.
Once the metropolis is fully developed, it will contain up to 926,000 residential units, providing homes for 2.5 million residents.
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This will become the most important area in Hong Kong and facilitate integration with Shenzhen and connection with the Greater Bay Area, she said.
“In the metropolis, multi‑functional land uses, with a highly concentrated residential and working population and enterprises, can drive economic development in neighbouring areas,” she said.
“It is the most vibrant area, where urban development and major population growth will take place over the next 20 years.”
Janice Mook, a 17 year-old student from Diocesan Girls’ School, said she was uncertain about the government’s goal.
“I think the 10-year target for public housing does not sound promising, as the government has been lagging far behind,” said Mook.
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Sports
A new bureau has been proposed to be in charge of culture, sports and tourism.
As the host of the China National Games in 2025, Lam also reiterated plans to expedite the construction of new facilities at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, hoping to complete work around 2024. Meanwhile, the 2023 completion of Kai Tak Sports Park will further support sports development while providing more job opportunities for both young and retired athletes.
Emily Li, a Form Three student from St Stephen’s Girls College, suggested that the government spend more time and resources on raising students’ interest in sports. Otherwise, she said, “The Olympics might just be a fleeting fad”.
DGS’s Mook added, “It’s great to know that the government is now addressing prospects for local athletes, as it holds young sportspeople back from becoming professional players.”
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Education
Lam said she wanted to offer teachers a class about Hong Kong’s constitutional status and the Chief Executive’s power under “one country, two systems”.
“To ensure that the ‘one country, two systems’ principle is fully and accurately implemented, we must adhere to the Constitution and Basic Law,” she said.
The government has already replaced the controversial liberal studies subject with a new class called citizenship and social development subject, which launched during the current school year. One of the subject’s three themes covers Hong Kong and “one country, two systems”.
“I found this an excellent start when I visited a secondary school to observe a lesson in early September,” she said.
“To enable teachers of the subject to have a better grasp of the constitutional status, powers and functions of the Chief Executive under ‘one country, two systems’, I have proposed to the Secretary for Education that I myself give a class to teachers who are interested.”
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Talent and ethnic minorities
The quota for the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, introduced to lure highly skilled and talented individuals from outside Hong Kong, will double from 2,000 to 4,000. Last year, 1,700 people came to Hong Kong through this scheme, but some students are nervous about the plan to double the number.
Shruti Kaur, a 16-year-old student from YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College, said “It could diminish local talent, as the migrants may overshadow them.”
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Lam also said the government would take the lead in providing more employment opportunities to Hong Kong’s ethnic minority residents.
Her administration has already introduced about 30 measures to support them in numerous areas, such as social welfare and social inclusion.
Article 23
President Xi Jinping’s July 1 speech marking the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party was one of his most important speeches on Hong Kong in recent years, Lam said, highlighting the need to fully implement the one country, two systems model.
She said that in recent years, the actions of anti-China destabilising forces have repeatedly threatened national security, and that Beijing has responded swiftly by imposing the national security law.
But there are many more things the Hong Kong government can do, she added, such as reviving the Article 23 security law that was shelved in 2003.