Roy Chu says seize this moment, and the city will write a new chapter on its journey from stability to flourishing metropolis

Hong Kong’s first five-year plan and the 2026 Policy Address unveiled on Wednesday present an ambitious road map for the special administrative region’s socioeconomic development in the next half decade, tethering immediate policies to long-range goals.

This is a landmark initiative that echoes the national 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) and asserts a distinctive, practicable strategy for the special administrative region’s deeper integration into the country’s development tapestry. It attests to the SAR government’s resolve and executive capacity, which is rooted in present realities yet casts a steady, far-seeing gaze toward the horizon. In form and spirit the plan is not an abstract wish but a living architecture with strategy, annual policy, fiscal backing and reporting woven into a disciplined cycle that preserves continuity, optimizes resource allocation and steadies public expectation.

The simultaneous release of a five-year blueprint and an annual Policy Address is governance made tangible. The plan lays down direction — where Hong Kong will journey, the strengths it will marshal, and the institutional terrain it must shape. The Policy Address translates that trajectory into concrete projects, timelines and performance indicators. The result is a policy loop that strengthens predictability for investors, clarity for industry and coherence for civic life: Long-range vision guiding annual action, and annual action informing iterative refinement of the longer arc.

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Hong Kong stands on a formidable foundation with wide horizons. The plan renews the city’s commitment to the “four centers and one hub”: consolidating the status as an international financial, shipping and trade center, sustaining its aviation hub, and accelerating the transformation into an international innovation and technology (I&T) center while cultivating a high-caliber talent ecosystem. Coupled with the bold spatial and economic thrust of the Northern Metropolis, this strategic layout harnesses Hong Kong’s unique institutional advantage — national support fused with global connectivity — and aligns its strengths with the unfolding technological revolution and industrial reshaping sweeping the world.

Not least among the plan’s notable initiatives is a focused drive to expand the yacht economy. It calls for faster construction of mooring facilities, more berths for yachts and facilitation measures such as streamlined northbound and southbound yacht movements. Complemented by the concept of a “multidestination” demonstration core zone, this approach leverages Hong Kong’s maritime heritage and cross-boundary transport links to position the city as a regional gateway for luxury itineraries into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and beyond. The yacht economy is not a peripheral novelty; it is a deliberate lever to broaden tourism, support maritime services, catalyze maritime maintenance and agency sectors, and stimulate hospitality, retail and professional training — generating quality jobs and entrepreneurial routes for our youth and wider communities.

Equally important is the plan’s insistence that development will never be divorced from livelihood. It frames economic progress as a means to “marked improvements in public well‑being”, promoting housing, healthcare, education, employment and elderly care. Development’s true measure is not only GDP but the daily security and dignity of families. When economic momentum is translated into accessible health, stable shelter, meaningful work and compassionate care, the social compact that underpins stability and prosperity is strengthened.

From years of district-level public service I recognize that grassroots initiatives are the clearest barometer of governance. Community canteens — seemingly simple places where a hot meal is served — embody this truth. The Policy Address’s proposal for “community carer canteens”, using local facilities to deliver affordable, nutritious meals to the lone elderly, double-aging households, persons with disabilities, and carers, is a model of humane pragmatism. Such hubs do more than nourish bodies: They cultivate social bonds, provide gentle gateways to welfare and medical support, and serve as frontline detectors of latent needs. They are modest crucibles of neighborliness where care becomes visible, practical and continuous.

Of course, blueprints are set to remain just paper without disciplined execution. Over the next five years Hong Kong must combine strategic composure with determined action: safeguarding national security, removing institutional bottlenecks, and embracing reform that removes mental fixations and accelerates delivery. Priority must be given to the Northern Metropolis, I&T development, green transition, digital governance and public service optimization. These require a results orientation: transparent metrics, strengthened cross-departmental coordination and rigorous progress monitoring so policies are not merely declared but demonstrably delivered.

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After making a good start, we should ensure that the cause comes to fruition. Blessed by the “one country, two systems” principle, supported steadfastly by the motherland, and sustained by enduring international links and civic aspiration, Hong Kong is singularly well placed. If we convert the plan’s grand blueprint into pragmatic, grassroots actions; if we transform economic momentum into palpable improvements in household lives; if we cultivate reform with courage and measure execution with accountability — then Hong Kong will not merely register growth on balance sheets but will achieve more inclusive development.

The five-year plan is a blueprint with a beating heart: It maps the infrastructure of progress while insisting progress be felt at dinner tables, in neighborhood halls and in the quiet dignity of caring bonds. Seize this moment, and Hong Kong will write a new chapter — more prosperous, more compassionate, and more warmly human — on its journey from stability to flourishing metropolis.

The author is a Hong Kong deputy to the National People’s Congress, a member of the Legislative Council, and a member of the Southern District Council.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.