Hong Kong to unveil Policy Address alongside debut 5-year plan on Sep 16

Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee announced that the city will release its first-ever five-year plan and annual Policy Address simultaneously on September 16. During a community visit to Sham Shui Po on Wednesday, Lee revealed that he would present the documents in the Legislative Council, beginning with the five-year plan before moving on to the annual Policy Address.

Lee explained that this combined presentation would help the public better understand the relationship between the two documents. He likened the five-year plan to "dotting the eyes of the dragon" and each annual Policy Address to "drawing the dragon itself." The five-year plan outlines Hong Kong's direction and strategy for development, while the Policy Address translates the plan into concrete policy measures.

Lee stated that while previous Policy Addresses have lasted nearly three and a half hours, this year's address will be shortened to match the duration of last year's session, which lasted just under three hours. Lee clarified that many people mistakenly refer to the five-year roadmap as a "plan," but it is actually a "programme," reflecting a shift in official terminology since 2006 when Beijing renamed the Soviet-inspired Five-Year Plan to the Five-Year Programme to emphasize market reforms and a transition away from a command economy.