Hong Kong’s John Lee pledges to align with nation’s new 5-year plan

Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to align with national strategies outlined in the country’s latest five-year plan and transform the city’s “new positionings, functions and missions” assigned by Beijing into “tangible outcomes” to drive economic growth. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Thursday that he would lead the local government in fulfilling its primary responsibility to unite society in proactively aligning with the 15th five-year plan, which outlines China’s economic and social development targets for 2026 to 2030. “Hong Kong must seize every opportunity to align proactively with national strategic requirements,” Lee said on social media. “We will transform the ‘new positioning, functions and missions’ tasked by the central government into tangible outcomes that drive high-quality economic development and improve people’s livelihoods.” His comments came as China’s legislature, the 14th National People’s Congress, concluded its fourth session and approved the outline of the 15th five-year plan. It also passed the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law and the National Development Planning Law. According to the plan outline, Hong Kong has been commissioned to build a commodity trading ecosystem, a high-quality supply chain service centre and a global hub for high-end talent. Beijing has reiterated its support for Hong Kong as an international centre for finance, shipping, trade, aviation and innovation and technology, while strengthening its functions as a global offshore renminbi business hub. The plan also calls on the government to accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis, a megaproject that will transform 30,000 hectares (74,131 acres) of land near the city’s border with mainland China into an economic powerhouse and housing hub. Lee said on Thursday the government was using innovative cooperation models to expedite the megaproject, which he deemed an “important strategic development area in Hong Kong”. He said such measures would attract more leading enterprises to set up operations in Hong Kong and drive the city’s economy. Lee added his administration would adopt a “systematic policy framework” to formulate a more comprehensive, precise and meticulous strategic deployment for key development areas, as well as a “macro, strategic, forward-looking” five-year plan for Hong Kong for the first time. Aiming to complete the plan this year, Lee said he would lead all bureaus, with the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau taking charge. “[Hong Kong’s five-year plan] will lay a more solid foundation for the city’s long-term prosperity and stability, as well as showcase its new responsibilities and actions in integrating into and serving the national development,” he said. Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang earlier emphasised implementing an executive-led governance system in Hong Kong as he met the city’s delegates to China’s legislature and top political advisory body. He stressed it was a “shared responsibility” of the city’s legislative and judicial branches and society as a whole to support the model. Lee noted the National Development Planning Law showed Beijing’s explicit support for Hong Kong’s alignment with national development, saying it offered solid legal safeguards for the city’s integration. He said the law would allow Hong Kong to demonstrate its unique advantages under the “one country, two systems” governing principle.