The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region plays an irreplaceable role in aligning domestic rules and standards with those of the world, a key function during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday.
Writing in his weekly blog, Chan said these efforts can facilitate the seamless cross-border flow of innovative elements, increase the resource allocation efficiency, and support advanced national standards for going global.
Hong Kong’s common law system, its internationally compatible regulatory framework, and mature professional services provide the city with a distinct edge to be the “pivotal platform” for linking national and international standards, he said.
In the construction sector, the recently-opened footbridge at Fanling Bypass features the first successful verification of national high-end manufacturing standards under the SAR’s globally-aligned engineering regulatory system, offering a vital reference for interoperability between domestic and international standards.
The footbridge project marks the world’s first use of domestically produced S960 high-strength steel in construction. With its strength three times that of ordinary steel, the material significantly reduces material consumption and structural weight, cutting the project’s costs by some 30 percent.
An “equivalent steel” database built by local academics systematically compares steel parameters between the Chinese mainland and those in Europe and the United States to help high-end mainland products connect with world markets.
In the medical field, Chan noted that the hospital accreditation standards, integrating international and national requirements and formulated by experts from Hong Kong and the mainland, have been adopted in several public local hospitals.
The Queen Mary Hospital Chest Pain Centre – Hong Kong’s first nationally-accredited chest pain facility established last year -- has significantly reduced the median time from a patient’s arrival to restoring heart cardiac flow from 105 minutes to 53 minutes, effectively improving survival rates and clinical work.
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Moreover, Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong province are jointly establishing the “Greater Bay Area Standards” that are expected to create favorable conditions for mainland products and services to access broader international markets, the finance chief said.
As of March this year, more than 270 standards had been adopted, covering sectors like electronic engineering, transportation, healthcare and education.
Chan said Hong Kong should also serve as an international gateway for emerging industries to enter the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
As physical infrastructure and financial support are needed to increase industrial development, the HKSAR government has been accelerating the Northern Metropolis project to provide greater capacity for the transformation and industrialization of scientific research achievements.
The “Finance +” strategy proposed in the 2026-2027 Budget also aims to better serve the real economy and modern industrialization by providing full-lifecycle financing support for technology enterprises, covering all stages from startup to public listing and beyond, Chan added.
