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Opinion | How mainland-style strategic planning can help Hong Kong improve its policymaking
- John Lee wants to revive an old government think tank to advise public policy, but the limited and short-term research and planning capabilities of the past won’t cut it today
- Like the central government, the new administration must set its sights on more far-reaching goals
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John Lee Ka-chiu, Hong Kong’s sole chief executive candidate, is looking to form an advisory group akin to the old Central Policy Unit (CPU), according to a Post report.
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The plan is “to reinstate an official think tank in the heart of government with the aim of conducting policy research and taking the pulse of society to address a current deficiency in the administration”. But can a revived CPU meet the needs of our time?
Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s decision to wind up the CPU deprived her team of the ability to carry out high-level and cross-functional strategic planning – just as the city was entering a phase when this kind of planning capability was most needed.
As President Xi Jinping has said on many occasions, we are experiencing “great changes unseen in a century”. In a world facing geopolitical upheavals, a pandemic, a climate crisis, a shifting technological landscape and a brutal war in Ukraine, Hong Kong should expect much volatility at a global level.
Closer to home, Hong Kong is dealing with the impact of Covid-19 and the aftermath of the 2019 protests, as well as perennial issues such as the housing shortage, education reform, and inadequate upward social mobility.
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Since 2020, Hong Kong has begun to integrate its goals with those of the mainland. Yet while China has a well-functioning planning system at both the central and local levels, Hong Kong has no such equivalent.
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