In Hong Kong, the Policy Address () is the constitutionally mandated annual address to the legislature delivered by the Chief Executive. The practice of giving annual Policy Addresses is mandated under Article 64 of the Basic Law, which requires the government to "present regular Policy Addresses to the [Legislative] Council". Many people see the Policy Address as a useful way to predict how the Chief Executive will operate.

History

Before 1997 The annual address was first introduced in 1972 by Governor Sir Murray MacLehose during the British rule of Hong Kong, and set out the government's legislative and policy agenda for the coming year. It was called the "Address by the Governor" () and was modelled after the Queen's Speech during the State Opening of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It aimed to strengthen communications with Hong Kong residents after the 1967 Hong Kong riots, and was widely broadcast via television and radio.

Addresses by the Governor took place in October to mark the beginning of the legislative year. The address was renamed to its current Chinese name 施政報告 () in 1986. The English name of the event remained unchanged until the Handover in 1997. Beginning with his first address in 1992, Governor Chris Patten initiated the practice of giving each address a unique title.

In his final annual address, delivered on 2 October 1996, Patten spoke of his anxiety of autonomy being given away "bit by bit" by some in Hong Kong. Observers noted that this line reflected many Hongkongers' greatest fear of efforts to undermine Hong Kong's right to self-government being made not only from outsiders, but also from within.

After the Handover (1997-present) The Chief Executive can decide in which month of the year to deliver the annual Policy Address. From 1997 to 2001, Tung Chee-hwa delivered Policy Addresses in October as the Legislative Council reconvened. In 2002, after his re-election as Chief Executive, Tung rescheduled the October 2002 address to January 2003, ostensibly to allow the newly appointed ministers under the Principal Officials Accountability System to settle into their roles. As a result, no policy address was delivered in 2002. Tung continued to deliver his addresses in January until he resigned in March 2005.

Tung's successor Donald Tsang resumed the previous practice of giving the speech in October; as such, there were two Policy Addresses in 2005. Leung Chun-ying pushed back his Policy Addresses to January, explaining the move by stating that he wished to give lawmakers more time to voice their opinions.

Carrie Lam delivered her Policy Addresses in October, except in 2020, which was rescheduled to 25 November to avoid clashing with CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping's visit to Shenzhen. John Lee, who took office in 2022, has delivered his Policy Addresses in October.

Contemporary practice

Public consultation The government typically launches a public consultation campaign three to four months before the delivery of the address.

Motion of thanks Within 14 days after the delivery of the address, the Chairman of the House Committee of the Legislative Council will move a Motion of Thanks, similar to Address in Reply motions in other legislatures, and members of the Council debate the Policy Address.

List of policy addresses Year Given by English title Chinese title 2026 John Lee A Strategic Vision for a Bright New Era; Driving Reform and Boosting Development; Unleashing Opportunities and Enhancing Livelihood 2025 Deepening Reforms for Our People; Leveraging Our Strengths for a Brighter Future 2024 Reform for Enhancing Development and Building Our Future Together 2023 A Vibrant Economy for a Caring Community 2022 Charting a Brighter Tomorrow for Hong Kong 2021 Carrie Lam Building a Bright Future Together 2020 Striving Ahead with Renewed Perseverance 2019 Treasure Hong Kong: Our Home 2018 Striving Ahead, Rekindling Hope 2017 We Connect for Hope and Happiness 2017 Leung Chun-ying Make Best Use of Opportunities; Develop the Economy; Improve People’s Livelihood; Build an Inclusive Society 2016 Innovate for the Economy; Improve Livelihood; Foster Harmony; Share Prosperity 2015 Uphold the Rule of Law; Seize the Opportunities; Make the Right Choices 2014 Support the Needy; Let Youth Flourish; Unleash Hong Kong's Potential 2013 Seek Change; Maintain Stability; Serve the People with Pragmatism 2011–12 Donald Tsang From Strength to Strength 2010–11 Sharing Prosperity for a Caring Society 2009–10 Breaking New Ground Together 2008–09 Embracing New Challenges 2007–08 A New Direction for Hong Kong 2006–07 Proactive; Pragmatic; Always People First 2005–06 Strong Governance For the People 2005 Tung Chee-hwa Working Together for Economic Development and Social Harmony 2004 Seizing Opportunities for Development; Promoting People-based Governance 2003 Capitalising on Our Advantages Revitalising Our Economy 2001 Building on our Strengths; Investing in our Future 2000 Serving the Community; Sharing Common Goals 1999 Quality People; Quality Home 1998 From Adversity to Opportunity 1997 Building Hong Kong For A New Era 1996 Chris Patten Hong Kong: Transition 1995 Hong Kong: Our Work Together 1994 Hong Kong: A Thousand Days and Beyond 1993 Hong Kong: Today's Success, Tomorrow's Challenges 1992 Our Next Five Years: The Agenda for Hong Kong

There were no titles for the Policy Addresses before 1992.

See also State of the Union State Opening of Parliament Speech from the throne

References

External links

Official website Corpus of Political Speeches : Free access to political speeches by American and Chinese politicians, developed by Hong Kong Baptist University Library