Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu holds a press conference on his 2022 Policy Address at the Central Government Offices on Oct 19, 2022. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

As Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu mapped out his priorities for the city in his maiden Policy Address this Wednesday, business and academic heavyweights said the ambitious plan can not only tackle urgent needs but also boost Hong Kong’s long-term development on multiple fronts.

This is a visionary and balanced Policy Address with near-term strategies addressing livelihoods, talents, land supply, housing and tourism as well as long-term visions to enhance Hong Kong’s infrastructure and connectivity, groom home-grown talents.

Daryl Ng Win-kong, deputy chairman of Sino Group

Daryl Ng Win-kong, deputy chairman of Sino Group, said: “This is a visionary and balanced Policy Address with near-term strategies addressing livelihoods, talents, land supply, housing and tourism as well as long-term visions to enhance Hong Kong’s infrastructure and connectivity, groom home-grown talents, build new competitive advantages in innovation and technology in addition to capitalizing on the tremendous opportunities brought about by the Northern Metropolis, the Greater Bay Area and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.”

Ng said that these measures will help reinforce Hong Kong’s international position, and will be conducive to the city’s long-term, sustainable development.

“We fully support the Policy Address. Sino Group has full confidence in Hong Kong and the country, and looks forward to writing a new chapter for Hong Kong together,” Ng added.

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Lee, facing multiple headwinds as he seeks to restore the city’s fortunes as a financial hub, announced on Wednesday a slew of initiatives on financial services, such as revising the Main Board Listing Rules to facilitate fundraising of technology enterprises that have yet to meet profit and trading-record requirements.

Nicolas Aguzin, chief executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (HKEX), said Lee’s Policy Address affirms his administration’s commitment to supporting Hong Kong’s position as a leading international financial center and a global listing venue of choice.

“We note and appreciate the government’s support for the expansion of HKEX’s Connect programs, the continued enhancement of our listing franchise, and the development of a green and sustainable finance ecosystem, all of which will continue to underpin the attractiveness of Hong Kong’s capital markets,” Aguzin said.

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Nancy Ip Yuk-yu, president of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, also expressed her gratitude for the series of measures rolled out by Lee on promoting education, innovation and technology as well as attracting talent, saying the overall plan is a “fresh booster” to Hong Kong’s development as an international innovation and technology hub.

“Talent is key to propelling innovation. We are pleased to see that the government has proposed different measures to proactively recruit talent, ranging from increasing the number of University Grants Committee-funded research postgraduate places to recruiting graduates from the world’s top 100 universities and the Greater Bay Area campuses of local universities to work in Hong Kong,” Ip said.

Contact the writer at evanliu@chinadailyhk.com