Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam’s postponement of policy address has ratcheted up anticipation – and the potential for disappointment

Analysts wonder whether Carrie Lam’s flagship annual address can deliver initiatives capable of firing up a disaffected, pandemic-weary public

The unprecedented decision to postpone the speech to take meetings on the mainland has only increased the pressure to deliver

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The stakes for Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s policy address there are especially high. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 8:03am, 24 Nov 2020Updated: 11:13am, 24 Nov 2020

Hong Kong’s leader is slated to give her fourth policy address on Wednesday, rolling out her government’s latest road map for tackling the city’s mounting economic, social and political issues.

But analysts say Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has her work cut out for her if she hopes to satisfy the soaring expectations not only of the city’s residents and financial and business communities, but also China’s top leaders in Beijing.

Since Hong Kong’s return from British rule in 1997, public expectations for the chief executive’s policy address have always been high, with the annual occasion seen as an opportunity for the city’s leader to lay out their vision of governance and to unveil major policy initiatives with the potential to help the underprivileged and bolster businesses.

But this year’s expectations were, if anything, even further inflated after the policy address, originally slated for October 14, was abruptly postponed by Lam just two days before. In delaying the speech, Lam cited the need to attend meetings on the mainland to secure opportunities for Hong Kong’s economic recovery amid the gloom of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Chinese Vice-Premier Han Zheng meets with Carrie Lam in Beijing earlier this month. Photo: SCMP

Lam and five senior officials – the city’s financial services, mainland affairs, tech, health and transport chiefs – visited Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen from November 3 to 7 for a series of meetings.

But Lam failed to secure what she said had been her top priority: re-establishing cross-border travel between the city and the mainland in a bid to bring much-needed customers to flagging local businesses.