SAR’s blueprint guides development, stressing public participation for goals

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday said the city’s first five-year plan, scheduled for release today, will set “binding and anticipatory” indicators for development and does not signal a shift toward a planned economic system.

Showcasing copies of the five-year plan, contained in a blue cover representing openness, progress, and stability, along with the 2026 Policy Address — with a green cover symbolizing policy continuity, vitality and hope — Lee said both documents are rich in content and together exceed 100,000 Chinese characters.

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He plans to present their core contents on Wednesday, aiming to complete the delivery within two to three hours so that the public can understand both documents and their interrelation.

“I want to make it very clear: the five-year plan is not a planned economy,” he said, adding that it will outline strategic directions and specify priority areas.

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“When we each year roll out policies, we also have to ascertain priorities, so that at the end of five years, we will have reached certain goals.”

In setting indicators, Lee said that governments weigh similar factors: some things must be done, which are binding particularly on the government, while others require the participation of all sectors.

“The government will lead, coordinate resources and make the right policies, while everybody has to play their part in order to achieve the best results,” he said.

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Lee added that the HKSAR government has prepared a two-volume set of summaries: one covering the highlights of the 2026 Policy Address and the other the five-year plan. After grasping the key points, members of the public can compare them with the full official texts to see how the two documents align and how, together, they complete the overall picture.

He also expressed gratitude to the public for sharing their views during over 100 consultation sessions, with 17,000 submissions received for the five-year plan and 11,000 for the 2026 Policy Address.

Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com