Chief Executive John Lee on Sunday said Hong Kong’s inaugural Five-Year Plan would set out broad macro-level targets, taking reference from similar blueprints of mainland cities.

Lee shared details about the blueprint during the city’s first district consultation session for both the Five-Year Plan and the upcoming Policy Address, as he and his ministers gathered public views at a secondary school in Tuen Mun.

About 130 district representatives and residents from various sectors — including those from the grassroots, business leaders, professionals, ethnic minorities, and students — attended the two-hour event.

The session featured a general Q&A in the school hall during the first hour, followed by small-group classroom discussions with individual ministers, with Lee chiming into the exchanges from time to time.

In his opening remarks, Lee stressed the importance of holding joint consultations for the Five-Year Plan and the Policy Address.

“It is particularly significant that this consultation on the Five-Year Plan is being conducted in conjunction with our usual consultation on the Chief Executive’s Policy Address,” he said.

“The Five-Year Plan will serve as a blueprint for Hong Kong’s development and a guiding document that provides us with directional, macro-level and strategic guidance, and it is intrinsically linked to the Policy Address. The Policy Address not only sets out our annual policy initiatives, but also serves as the annual report on our Five-Year Plan.”

Lee added the SAR's Five-Year Plan would not focus on specific metrics.

“Having reviewed the five-year plans of various mainland cities and governments, we found that they generally comprise around 20 targets, with specific targets for different sectors then set out annually,” he said.

"I believe this is very much in line with our approach in Hong Kong: our Five-Year Plan will set out some macro-level targets, but as you will have noticed, my Policy Address contains over 100 targets each year, and we can also require different bureaux or departments to set further targets for specific sectors.”

During the Q&A and small-group sessions, participants raised a wide range of topics, including the Northern Metropolis University Town, urban redevelopment, creative industries, island tourism, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Others offered suggestions on youth development, caregiver support, retirement resources, and housing.

An ethnic minority representative called on authorities to establish a specific pathway for homegrown ethnic minorities to become professionals.

Lee pledged the government would continue helping the community integrate into wider society.

“I treat every member of the 7.5 million people as family members in this big family of Hong Kong. So we'll do all our best to ensure that the best development and contribution can be made available for different ethnicities,” he said.

In summarising the consultation session, Lee thanked the public for their feedback, saying they are very useful in helping to draft the two policy blueprints.

He said enhancing the city's development and management at a systemic level would be one of the key areas to focus on.

"These include how to handle daily complaints from residents, to make our district governance more effective. But for the overall city development, we have to systemically organise it along various fields, including drainage, emergencies, or even daily traffic management. Systemic management allows us to make use of technology to better understand the mid-term or long-term challenges of different places," he said

The chief executive added that formulating the Five-Year Plan would allow Hong Kong to closely align with the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan, driving economic opportunities and improving residents' livelihoods.




Edited by Tony Sabine