HONG KONG -- Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has announced plans to create a new "metropolis" of up to 2.5 million people near the border with mainland China, looking to tie the former British colony closer to neighboring cities to boost regional development and tackle a chronic housing shortage.
In the fifth and final annual policy address of her term on Wednesday, Lam defended the national security law and political overhaul imposed by Beijing in the wake of widespread antigovernment protests in 2019, emphasizing the need to strengthen pride in and loyalty to China for Hong Kong's long-term prosperity.
