John Lee says five-year plan keeps Hong Kong system
RTHK · 5 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago6 MIN
Summary
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu (李家超) said Hong Kong’s first-ever five-year plan will be unveiled on Wednesday, September 16, together with a new Policy Address, and insisted it would not alter the city’s existing system. In newspaper opinion pieces published on Monday, he said the plan would uphold the rule of law, the capitalist system, the Basic Law and “one country, two systems”, while preserving Hong Kong’s role as an international city with the free flow of capital, people, goods and data. Lee said the plan was designed to align with the national 15th Five-Year Plan and to help Hong Kong better integrate into and serve the country’s overall development, while turning economic growth into better livelihoods, jobs and upward mobility for residents. He also said the blueprint was completed in less than a year after more than 100 consultation sessions and over 17,000 submissions, about 80 per cent of them from individual residents.
Key Points
- Lee said residents had asked whether adopting a five-year plan would change Hong Kong’s original system, and he answered clearly that it would not.
- He said the blueprint would uphold the rule of law, capitalism, the Basic Law and “one country, two systems” without distortion or change.
- Lee said Hong Kong would maintain its international-city status and the free flow of capital, people, goods and data under the plan.
- He said the plan would strengthen finance, shipping, trade and aviation, build an international innovation and technology centre, and speed up the Northern Metropolis.
- The government began a two-month public consultation in June, held more than 100 sessions, and used artificial intelligence to analyse over 17,000 submissions.
Why It Matters
By releasing the five-year plan alongside the Policy Address, the government is pairing a longer-term development blueprint with annual policy priorities and implementation steps. For Hong Kong residents and businesses, Lee is trying to reassure the public that closer alignment with national planning will still operate within the city’s existing legal and capitalist framework.