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Matthew Cheng

Hong Kong’s first five-year plan will include both binding and anticipatory targets, the city’s leader has said, stressing that the long-term blueprint will not signal a move towards a planned economy.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also revealed on Tuesday that the plan, which will be unveiled alongside his annual policy address the following day, would feature a blue cover symbolising “blue skies”, openness, progress and steadiness.
“There will be indicators which are binding and indicators which are anticipatory … There are things we must do and they are binding on the government particularly,” he told the media ahead of the weekly meeting of the Executive Council, the key decision-making body.
“And there are things we want to do very much, but we need everybody to facilitate. The government will lead, and also the government will coordinate resources, make the right policies and everybody has to play their part in order to achieve the best result.”
But he stopped short of saying whether specific indicators would be set for major initiatives such as the Northern Metropolis megaproject.
Lee reiterated that the plan would not alter Hong Kong’s economic system.
“I want to make it very clear: the five-year plan is not a planned economy. It is a plan which tells us where the strategic directions are, where we are heading and which are the priority areas,” he said.
“It is a blueprint for us to implement in five years’ time. So when we each year roll out policies, we also have to ascertain priorities so that at the end of five years we will reach certain goals.”
The city leader said the theme of the fifth and final policy address of his current term would be: “A Strategic Vision for a Bright New Era; Driving Reform and Boosting Development; Unleashing Opportunities and Enhancing Livelihoods”.

He said the document would retain its green cover, symbolising policy continuity, vibrancy and hope, adding that it would carry special significance as the first policy address to follow the announcement of the five-year plan.
“It means that we adopt a long-term perspective through the five-year plan to map out Hong Kong’s overall development, advance reforms, promote growth and create opportunities,” Lee said.
“[We will] ensure that the benefits of economic development are shared with the public, and that we embrace the future.”
He also thanked the public for their valuable feedback, which helped the government complete drafts of the two documents.
Lee is scheduled to present both documents to the Legislative Council on Wednesday morning. He said they contained more than 100,000 words in total and that he would spend two to three hours outlining their key points.
The government had prepared a summary to help the public understand the relationship between the two documents and their contents, he added.
Lee said the two blueprints were rich in substance and that he would explain them to the public at a press conference and television forum on Wednesday, followed by a radio event the next day.
He will also attend a 1½-hour question-and-answer session at the legislature on Thursday morning to answer lawmakers’ questions, his first such session this year.
Authorities have said Hong Kong’s first five-year plan aims to align the city’s development more closely with the national blueprint for 2026-30, while providing strategic direction for the years ahead.
The plan will outline the city’s vision for the Northern Metropolis, the advancement of innovation and technology, and the development of the finance, shipping and trading sectors.
The policy address will serve as a progress report on the implementation of the plan, setting out policies and advancing its direction in response to the international environment, economic forecasts and the latest developments.
The South China Morning Post earlier reported that the documents would introduce measures to remove hurdles to business development in the Northern Metropolis, as well as initiatives to strengthen innovation hubs, research efforts and technology applications.
The government earlier concluded months-long public consultations on both documents. It held more than 100 consultation sessions and two town hall meetings, attended by more than 200 residents and district representatives, and received more than 17,000 submissions on the five-year plan and 11,000 on the policy address.


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.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}‘I want to make it very clear: the five-year plan is not a planned economy,’ city leader stresses ahead of blueprint’s unveiling

‘I want to make it very clear: the five-year plan is not a planned economy,’ city leader stresses ahead of blueprint’s unveiling