Chief Executive John Lee on Monday stressed that Hong Kong must deeply understand and comprehend the spirit of the Fourth Plenary session in order to grasp the future developmental direction that the country was taking and the opportunities it offered for the city.

His remarks came after around 500 people – government officials, members of the legislative and executive councils, as well as representatives of the judiciary – attended a seminar at government headquarters to learn about the spirit of the plenum.

The Fourth Plenary session of the Communist Party Central Committee – held last month – serves the purpose of approving the recommendations for the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan.

Speaking after the seminar on Monday, Lee expressed gratitude to two Beijing officials who were invited to Hong Kong for the occasion: Hou Jianguo, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Zhu Weidong, deputy director at both the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission and the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group.

Lee said the seminar was of great help to all participants.

“Hou and Zhu’s speeches were simple and easy to understand," he said.

"They gave a concise and detailed explanation of the spirit of the Fourth Plenary session. They systematically interpreted the importance and necessity of the 15th Five-Year Plan recommendations.”

Lee said the 15th Five-Year Plan for between 2026 and 2030 clearly defines Hong Kong’s position in the overall national development strategy and fully reflects the high importance attached to the SAR.

“We must understand its importance and significance for Hong Kong's future development and seize the opportunity and to further leverage its unique advantages of [being] backed by the motherland while connecting to the world under 'One Country, Two Systems', as well as high degree of internationalisation, market orientation and rule of law,” he said.

Lee also emphasised the great importance in the SAR's leveraging its strengths to serve the needs of the country.

Another seminar will be held from 9.30am to noon on Tuesday, with Lee calling for everyone to watch it together and learn the spirit of the Fourth Plenary session.

It will be broadcast live on RTHK TV 32, along with simultaneous streaming on government websites and Facebook pages.