Hong Kong to release 2025 policy address ahead of schedule in Sept: HKSAR chief executive

HONG KONG -- The 2025 policy address of Hong Kong is scheduled for an earlier release in September, and public consultation will commence next Monday, John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said on Tuesday.

Speaking ahead of an Executive Council meeting, Lee said that this year's policy address will be delivered earlier than in previous years because a Legislative Council (LegCo) election will be held at the end of the year, and the current LegCo term will end early.

The early launch of public consultations for the policy address is due to the emphasis on the importance of communication and interaction between the executive and legislative branches. It also allows the HKSAR government sufficient time to gather opinions and suggestions from residents and various sectors of society, he added.

Lee and his team will attend more than 40 online and offline consultation sessions, as well as two district consultation meetings, to broadly gather opinions from various individuals.

Lee said that Hong Kong's local GDP is estimated to grow by 2 percent to 3 percent this year. Meanwhile, Hong Kong is entering an economic transformation period, where some industries will perform well while others will face challenges.

He stressed that the HKSAR government and various sectors should identify new growth points and new markets, deepen international exchanges and cooperation, and boost the economy, promote development and improve people's livelihood.