The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government is conducting public consultations for the 2026 Policy Address — the fifth of the current administration — which carries dual significance: It must fulfill the incumbent administration’s existing policy pledges while laying an irreversible institutional foundation for long-term policy agendas that extend beyond next year’s change of administration.

So when considering proposals for the upcoming Policy Address, stakeholders should consider not only what needs to be done this year but also what must be initiated now to deliver results in the next five to 10 years. They should also consider not only what Hong Kong can do, but how the nation can support the city.

Since 2022, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s policy addresses have charted a clear, sequential trajectory toward advancing Hong Kong from stability to prosperity after order was restored.

The 2022 Policy Address was aimed at stabilizing the post-COVID-19 situation and establishing a framework for reform, with a focus on eliminating the chronic ills of the old mechanisms to clear obstacles for subsequent development. New mechanisms like key performance indicators were introduced to enhance governance; new programs and institutions were established to attract talent and enterprises.

Driven by the resumption of cross-border travel and society’s return to normalcy, the 2023 Policy Address pivoted to economic recovery, with a focus on revitalizing tourism, attracting international mega-events, and rolling out targeted relief for residents. Concurrently, it unveiled the Northern Metropolis Action Agenda, advancing the ambitious blueprint into the planning and implementation phase.

Following the Basic Law Article 23 legislation that firmly consolidated the foundation of national security, the 2024 Policy Address initiated comprehensive structural reforms spanning land, housing, healthcare, and governance accountability.

Ultimately, formulating the Policy Address is the expression of collaborative good governance, which requires all stakeholders’ active participation. They should be encouraged to come up with innovative, forward-looking proposals that can help shape Hong Kong’s long-term socioeconomic landscape

Subsequently, the 2025 Policy Address marked a phase of consolidation, as major livelihood and tech projects transitioned from blueprints to tangible reality — highlighted by the accelerated completion of Light Public Housing, accelerated Northern Metropolis development, and initial investment-attraction successes in the Hetao zone.

This four-year progression — stabilizing the foundation in 2022, promoting recovery in 2023, advancing reforms in 2024, reaping initial results in 2025 — demonstrates a systematic approach to revitalizing the city.

Driven by shifting developmental stages and environments, the 2026 Policy Address needs to adopt a significantly broader horizon. While previous blueprints were inherently annual plans addressing immediate pain points with rapid, flexible responses, the 2026 Policy Address should herald a historic paradigm shift. Coinciding with both the inaugural year of the national 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) and the SAR’s first five-year plan, the new blueprint must enable the city to align its development with the national strategy.

Translating this macro vision into reality requires a strategic alignment in four aspects. That is, the 2026 Policy Address must align with the 15th Five-Year Plan, build upon the foundations of the previous four blueprints, chart Hong Kong’s five-year trajectory, and synergize with the development plans of the Macao SAR and the nine Guangdong cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

In line with this strategic direction, the HKSAR’s governance logic is undergoing a fundamental shift. Policymakers are looking beyond a 12-month horizon to set their sights on long-term industrial layouts, infrastructure investments, and sustained public well-being. Rather than passively picking up opportunities, Hong Kong is proactively aligning with national strategies to convert the institutional strengths of the “one country, two systems” framework into enduring dividends. Furthermore, governance reform is transitioning from piecemeal, problem-oriented patches to a standardized, systemic framework. By consolidating the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong” and fostering constructive executive-legislative interactions, the government is establishing a stable, long-term governance mechanism.

This macro-level evolution necessitates iterative upgrades in several significant aspects to be facilitated by the upcoming Policy Address.

First, Hong Kong needs to update its economic development mindset and solidify its foundation in innovation and technology. While the previous few years focused heavily on post-COVID-19 recovery and diversification into green finance and mega-events, the 2026 agenda needs to place an emphasis on basic science and original innovation, striving to build an integrated ecosystem of education, science and talent. In essence, Hong Kong is to turn the page on superficial rebound and engineer a deeper structural pivot toward endogenous growth fueled by new quality productive forces.

Second, the Northern Metropolis will evolve from a massive infrastructure project into a dynamic economic engine. With the foundational construction phase maturing, the core objective in 2026 will pivot to operationalizing the region by attracting high-end industries, tech talent, and fostering robust industrial ecosystems.

Third, Greater Bay Area integration is expected to advance beyond basic connectivity. Previous efforts concentrated on facilitating the cross-border flow of people, goods and capital, effectively lowering interaction costs. In 2026, the focus should shift to alignment of rules and standards, facilitating complementary operation of the city cluster in building cross-border industrial chains as well as in areas such as healthcare, retirement and tourism.

Fourth, Hong Kong should now try to elevate its social welfare agenda to build a premier livable metropolis. Moving past the stopgap relief measures of recent years — such as cash handouts, childbirth incentives, and housing wait-time reductions — the 2026 strategy should tackle livelihood bottlenecks. By unlocking massive land reserves in the Northern Metropolis to resolve the housing crunch and promoting cross-border healthcare and elderly services, Hong Kong will drastically expand its spatial capacity for public well-being.

Ultimately, formulating the Policy Address is the expression of collaborative good governance, which requires all stakeholders’ active participation. They should be encouraged to come up with innovative, forward-looking proposals that can help shape Hong Kong’s long-term socioeconomic landscape.

The author is vice-chairman of the Committee on Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and chairman of the Hong Kong New Era Development Thinktank.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.