Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam speaks at a press conference in Hong Kong, south China, Oct. 6, 2020. Carrie Lam said Tuesday that the HKSAR government will continue to take out the "black sheep" in the education sector after a school teacher was deregistered for spreading "Hong Kong independence" in the classroom. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will postpone this year's annual policy address which was originally scheduled for Wednesday, as Chief Executive Carrie Lam has been invited to attend the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone's anniversary event on the same day and she will visit Beijing to seek central government policy support.

Lam announced the decision at a news conference on Monday, and added that she aims to deliver the policy address by the end of November. 

Lam said she has been invited to visit the capital Beijing this month after the Shenzhen event and hold discussions on a list of measures on Hong Kong's development with central government officials. 

"These measures cover a wide range of fields and cannot be decided by a single ministry, and some of the measures will require the chief executive to visit Beijing to hold a coordination meeting with different ministries to seek the central government's support," explained Lam. 

Hong Kong's economic recovery requires support from the central government, said Lam, stating that the HKSAR government and the central government are both keen to facilitate policies to help Hong Kong people regain confidence in its economy and livelihood issues. 

Lam will travel to Shenzhen to attend the Special Economic Zone's 44th anniversary event on Wednesday instead of publishing the annual policy address. President Xi Jinping is also set to make a visit to Shenzhen for the event. 

Lam stated at the news conference that attending the event in Shenzhen is "significant," as Hong Kong is a contributor to and a beneficiary of Shenzhen's rapid development. "We have full confidence and expectations in the future cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong," she said.

Global Times