CHIEF Executive of China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam delivered her policy address yesterday, highlighting housing, economy, people’s livelihood and young people’s development.

It was Lam’s second policy address since she was sworn in on July 1, 2017.

Lam said the policy address, titled Striving Ahead Rekindling Hope, covers areas including good governance, housing and land, diversified economy, nurturing talent, improving people’s livelihood, livable city and connecting with young people.

In the address, the chief executive said the HKSAR Government would introduce steps to solve the housing problem facing Hong Kong.

To deal with the issue as where to get land, Lam presented plans on land supply, including Lantau Tomorrow Vision, development of brownfield sites, land sharing and revitalization of industrial buildings.

Being the largest outlying island in Hong Kong, Lantau is home to the Hong Kong International Airport and the gateway to the world. The commissioning of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will improve Lantau to a “Double Gateway” to the world and other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Lantau Tomorrow Vision is to provide 260,000 to 400,000 residential units, with 70 percent being public housing, to accommodate 700,000 to 1.1 million people, and to create 340,000 jobs for the coming 20 to 30 years, according to Lam.

Lam noted that in the first half of this year, the HKSAR economy grew strongly by 4 percent in real terms over the previous year, riding on the broadly positive global economic environment.

The HKSAR Government will act proactively, strengthen its roles in serving as “facilitator” and “promoter,” and seize the opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development, with a view to generating new impetus for HKSAR’s economy.

Lam said that the HKSAR Government and herself will not tolerate any acts that advocate “Hong Kong independence” and threaten the country’s sovereignty, security and development interests.

Lam stressed that the policy address is built on the HKSAR’s unique strengths under “one country, two systems” and combined with the current-term HKSAR Government’s unflagging efforts since assuming office July 1, 2017.

“This policy address carries my unswerving determination in leading Hong Kong to strive forward. While there are many words, they serve just one purpose: rekindling hope for Hong Kong,” she said.

(Xinhua)