The Legislative Council passed motions on Hong Kong’s first five-year plan and the 2026 Policy Address on Friday after wrapping up a three-day joint debate, with officials and lawmakers pledging to work together to implement both road maps and improve residents’ livelihoods under an executive-led system and the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong”.
The debate sessions on Friday focused on themes including enhancing social well-being and refining the social protection framework; fully, faithfully and resolutely implementing the “one country, two systems” principle; and adopting a holistic approach to development and security, and enhancing public governance efficacy.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-Chiu thanked LegCo for engaging in in-depth discussions and offering diverse views. He said, the 2026 Policy Address sets out wide-ranging policy measures across various fields to advance the initiatives for the first year in line with the five-year blueprint, which creates more development opportunities, enables the public to share economic dividends, and enhances social well-being.
“My team and I will continue to work closely with LegCo to ensure positive interaction between the executive authorities and the legislature, with mutual checks and balances and complementarity,” Lee said.
Concluding the debate, Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki said, lawmakers’ views would play a positive role in deepening good governance.
Chan added that to implement the five-year plan effectively, it is essential to uphold the “one country, two systems” principle over the long term, without any deviation, and to fully leverage the institutional strengths of the special administrative region’s governance system.
Eighty-eight lawmakers spoke during the three-day debate, with total speaking time of 26 hours and 46 minutes — more than two hours longer than last year’s debate on the 2025 Policy Address.
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Lawmaker Maggie Chan Man-ki said there is a need to enhance Hong Kong’s childcare services, particularly by aligning supply more precisely with demand. She suggested leveraging data from the ongoing population census to optimize service locations, placing facilities near workplaces and transit hubs for the convenience of working parents.
Praising the government’s resolve to eliminate poor quality subdivided flats, lawmaker Vincent Cheng Wing-shun said that the phased “early-bird” fee concessions could complicate or delay flat owners’ registration of Basic Housing Units.
He suggested that the government continue using various channels to encourage landlords who are interested in modifying their subdivided flats to register. He also expressed the hope that the authorities would efficiently assist registered owners with professional certification, ensuring a smooth transition for subdivided units into legal Basic Housing Units.
Chau Siu-chung, representing the labor functional constituency, said there is a need to protect job opportunities for local workers. He noted that the unemployment rate in the catering sector has risen to 6.8 percent, with 16,000 workers unemployed. Meanwhile, approved numbers for imported labor in the sector include over 19,000 chefs and 14,000 waiting staff — the top two approved categories.
Given persistent unemployment in catering, Chau urged authorities to cut or suspend the importation of labor to encourage employers to prioritize hiring of local people.
The government motion on the development blueprint was moved by Eric Chan, while a motion of thanks was moved by lawmaker Ronick Chan Chun-ying.
The heads of all six senior secretarial and deputy secretarial positions, as well as 15 policy bureaus, in the government attended the debate sessions.
