HONG KONG - Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced on Saturday that he will deliver his fourth Policy Address on Sept 17.

Lee made the announcement at a media session after his community visit to the Kwun Tong district, where he gathered opinions as part of the public consultation for the upcoming Policy Address.

The release of the Policy Address this year will be brought forward to September, a month earlier than the usual time in mid to late October, as the Legislative Council general election has been scheduled to be held at the end of the year and the current Legislative Council's term would end early.

During his visit, the chief executive toured with other officials the Choi Hing Road Light Public Housing project, Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate, and the East Kowloon Cultural Centre (EKCC).

ALSO READ: CE to deliver Policy Address earlier this year, in September

Visiting the Choi Hing Road project to learn about its operations and intake progress, Lee visited a household that had already moved in and listened to residents share their experiences and the changes in their lives after relocating.

In addition, he inspected the project’s facilities, nearby transport infrastructure, and weekend bazaar booths, interacting with residents and collecting their views on government policies.

“Housing is the top priority of the current-term government, which is expediting the speed and efficiency of increasing the public housing supply and has innovatively introduced Light Public Housing (LPH),” he said.

Pointing out that LPH adopts a modular integrated construction approach for expeditious building, the CE added construction works of all the 13 projects have gradually commenced, with the first two projects at Yau Pok Road and Choi Hing Road having commenced intake.

Lee also said he was pleased to learn that the residents reflected a significant improvement in their living environment compared to subdivided flats, and looked forward to the completion of more projects so that more members of the public with urgent housing needs could be allocated to adequate housing as soon as possible to improve their quality of life.

At Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate, he visited service booths set up by the District Services and Community Care Teams to learn about a range of services offered to residents, including health checks, free Chinese medicine consultations, and anti-mosquito campaigns.

ALSO READ: Industrialists back cross-border integration, SME support in Policy Address

During his visit of the EKCC, the CE highlighted that the center was a new and world-class major performance venue, expected to be in full operation by the end of this year.

“It will foster the curation of more signature performing arts programs, promoting the industrialization and integration of cultural tourism development, and establishing Hong Kong as an East-meets-West center for international cultural exchanges,” Lee added.

Emphasizing his commitment to various policy areas such as housing, livelihoods, and culture, the CE said direct engagement with the public enables him to understand better their needs and expectations.