Attracting global enterprises and introducing high-end industries to the Northern Metropolis are among the government’s top development strategies, Chief Executive John Lee said on Sunday as he held a second town hall meeting with citizens before delivering September's Policy Address.

He revealed the government has received more than 5,500 opinions since the public consultation for the policy blueprint was launched in June, marking a nearly 10 percent increase compared to last year.

Speaking at the town hall, Lee said Hong Kong should find ways to attract more global firms to set up their headquarters in the SAR.

Retaining talent is crucial to Hong Kong’s competitiveness, he added.

“Statistics show that Hong Kong has recorded a new high in the number of newly-registered non-local companies, which means we have attracted international enterprises, among which many are from the mainland, but there are also global companies. We will continue to work on this area,” he said.

Lee also said the government aims to introduce high-end industries to the Northern Metropolis, a key development project for Hong Kong.

During the town hall meeting, an audience member suggested that the government should support non-Chinese speaking students who wish to study Putonghua so they can pursue careers in the Greater Bay Area.

Lee agreed that there should be education policies which cater to their needs.

“The ethnic minority population, in my mind, is a major part of our family. So we hope to integrate them with the community’s development,” he said.

“In terms of education, I agree that some special measures should be introduced to help them. Over the years, we have allocated resources to facilitate ethnic minorities' learning of Chinese and we are listening to people's opinions to improve our measures.”

Other matters raised during the meeting included tourism, helping people familiarise themselves with digital services, elderly care and Chinese medicine development.

On the economy, Lee noted that Hong Kong is experiencing economic restructuring, while seeing positive growth.

The CE also pointed out the government has become faster when it comes to helping residents during extreme weather events or power outages.