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6 takeaways from 2021 Hong Kong policy address: from a new metropolis to Carrie Lam conducting national security classes

  • Long-term implications abound in address Lam promised would be ‘visionary’, though advisers say that’s no indication of whether she’ll seek second term
  • Some key elements of address, widely believed to be in line with Beijing development goals, will fall to next administration to carry out

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Chief Executive Carrie Lam delivers the last policy address of her current term. Photo: Sam Tsang

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Over the course of more than two hours, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Wednesday covered almost every aspect of governance in the last policy address of her term – from national security to housing to climate change.

But while significant time was spent lauding her administration’s accomplishments to date, there were also substantial revelations – some with long-term implications – about where its focus will lie over the next six months.

Here are six key takeaways:

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1. A Northern Metropolis

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Lam announced that northern Hong Kong – a border area composed mostly of agricultural plots, wetlands and brownfield sites – would be developed into a “Northern Metropolis” that would serve as the city’s epicentre of growth over the next 20 years.

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