HONG KONG – The release of the chief executive’s Policy Address this year will be brought forward to September, a month earlier than the usual time in mid to late October, the city’s leader revealed on Tuesday.

Public consultation on the Policy Address will start on June 16, John Lee Ka-chiu said while speaking to the media ahead of the Executive Council meeting.

He explained that the Policy Address would be released ahead of the schedule 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.

"Public consultation will be launched earlier because I take seriously the communication and interaction between the executive and legislative branches, so that the government would have sufficient time to listen to the opinions and suggestions of the public and vaious sectors.”

The government’s teams will attend more than 40 online and offline consultation sessions and two district forums, as well as visiting the community, to gather suggestions from the local community, said the chief executive.

“We have worked hard to change the government culture and build a results-oriented government in the nearly three years since I was in office and accelerate the pace of government work,” he added.

The third Policy Address published last year introduced more than 600 policy measures in various areas, deepening the reforms since I took office, Lee pointed out, adding that various measures were being continuously implemented, as the government adhered to the right principles and innovating, strive for progress and change, and further enhance and give full play to the elements of Hong Kong's success.

“Hong Kong is entering a period of economic transformation. Some industries are performing well, but they are also facing challenges,” the CE said, calling on the government and businesses to seek change, discover new growth points and improve people's livelihood.

Taxi license buyback

Asked about reports on the taxi sector’s suggestion for the government to buy back all taxi licenses, the CE said it must be taken “very seriously” to use public money to buy all the licenses.

“The license allows the taxi industry to have privileges in the long term, and the license owners had direct returns, so that the sector can make a profit from operations.”

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There are a number of opinions among members of the public as taxi services do not meet their expectations, he said, stressing that these must be taken seriously.

Taxi services should continue to exist under the premise of improving their services as they also carried a social value, he said. “Online ride-hailing is a global trend. In some regions, it has already developed maturely and cannot be reversed.”

Reiterating that the government was considering a legal framework to regulate online ride-hailing platforms and ensure the safety of passengers, the CE emphasized that it will allow taxis to develop in a satisfactory manner, especially encouraging the development of fleets on online ride-hailing platforms, as well as improving management and services.

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Fanling water contamination

Regarding tenants of Queen’s Hill Estate in Fanling complaining about black particles discovered in tap water, the CE said he had issued four directives and 10 tasks for the relevant bureaux and departments to implement during a meeting convened by him last Friday.

"To trace the source; to set up an expert group to assist in the tracing; to immediately install and strengthen the filtration facilities in each and every building in Queen's Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court; and to speed up the work,” he stressed.

During the past weekend, authorities deployed additional manpower on-site to speed up the work progress, with the latest progress of key areas having received positive feedback from residents, Lee said, adding that the sample water collected indicated that residents no longer see any particles in the water.

“We should understand the feelings of residents in water concerns to ensure that it's not just safe, but that when they drink the water, their mind is at ease,” Lee pointed out.

HK pianist’s win at top international contest

Asked about the government’s plan to support the perform arts industry as Hong Kong pianist Aristo Sham Ching-tao won the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the CE praised Sham for being the city’s first pianist to win the gold medal, saying that the overall performance of a lot of artists in Hong Kong were doing well in different areas.

He pointed out the present mechanism for the government to support performers was through the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, with an expert group to look at the overall situation and different areas, strengths and potentials, to examine assistance and support, including donations or subsidies in the area of developing different arts.