Upon the invitation of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, with the approval of the Central People's Government, the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council invited the member of the publicity delegation, the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mr Hou Jianguo, and the member of the publicity delegation, the Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs and the Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Rural Affairs, CPC, Mr Zhu Weidong, to visit Hong Kong to speak on the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC Central Committee). The HKSAR Government today (November 25) held the second seminar on the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee at the Central Government Offices.

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, and the Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee, the Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and the Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Zhou Ji, delivered speeches at the seminar. Mr Hou and Mr Zhu gave presentations respectively, providing in-depth explanations of the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee as well as the key contents and significance of the Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development. The two members of the publicity delegation also responded to questions raised by participants. Mr Lee delivered the concluding remarks.

     He said, "The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee deliberated and adopted the Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan, making top-level designs and strategic plans for our country's development over the next five years, and putting forward the major objectives and key tasks for economic and social development. It has also made important plans to support Hong Kong's development, painting a brighter future for Hong Kong. In the new era and on its new journey, Hong Kong's strategic position takes on a new meaning. The 15th Five-Year period further clarifies Hong Kong's strategic position and supports Hong Kong in consolidating and enhancing its status as an international financial, shipping and trade centre, as well as in building an international innovation and technology centre. This has genuine and far-reaching significance for Hong Kong to fully leverage its unique advantages and important role of having strong support from the Motherland and close connection with the world, to promote Hong Kong's economic and social development, and to better integrate into and serve the overall national development." Mr Lee hoped that the participants and members of the public would study in depth the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and with a more proactive, pragmatic, responsible, upright yet innovative mindset, fully grasp and integrate this spirit into their daily work and lives. In doing so, they will open up a bright future of long-term prosperity and stability for Hong Kong's economy and society, and make relentless efforts to promote high-quality development of both the country and Hong Kong as well as the building of a great modern socialist country through Chinese modernisation.

     In his address, Mr Zhou said that since the 14th Five-Year Plan period, under the strong leadership of President Xi Jinping and the Central Government, our country's economic and social development has achieved new groundbreaking progress, breakthrough transformations, and historic accomplishments. Hong Kong has also addressed the shortcomings in its legal system for safeguarding national security, fully implemented the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong", and entered the best period for focusing on economic growth, pursuing development, advancing projects, and improving people's livelihoods. He believed that through this seminar, everyone would gain a deeper understanding of the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and implement it more effectively. This would help consolidate the positive momentum of Hong Kong's economic and social development, actively respond to the call of the Chief Executive and the HKSAR Government, and conscientiously fulfil citizens' responsibilities in accordance with the law by casting their sacred vote in the eighth Legislative Council General Election, thereby enhancing the governance effectiveness of the HKSAR through high-quality democracy and better fulfilling the important mission of implementing "one Country, two Systems" in the new era during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

     At the seminar, Mr Zhu said that the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has drawn a blueprint for our country's development in the next five years and, standing at a new historical starting point, constitutes another full mobilisation and overall deployment to build on our momentum and continue advancing Chinese modernisation. The 15th Five-Year period holds an important position as a key link between the past and the future in the process of basically realising socialist modernisation. Our economy has a solid foundation, advantages in many areas, strong resilience, and great potential. The conditions for and underlying trend of long-term growth remain unchanged. More and more, we are seeing the strengths of socialism with Chinese characteristics, China's enormous market, its complete industrial system, and its abundant human resources all coming to the fore. It is necessary to thoroughly comprehend the guiding principles and major objectives for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year period, and fully understand the connotations and clear directions proposed by the Plenary Session on "working for long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao". He hoped that all sectors of the Hong Kong society would seize the major opportunities of our country's modernisation, proactively align with national strategies such as the national 15th Five-Year Plan, the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and high-quality co-operation under the Belt and Road Initiative, forge new growth drivers and competitive advantages for the economy, better perform Hong Kong's vital role as a bridge and window connecting the Chinese Mainland with the rest of the world, and better integrate into and serve the overall national development.
      
     Mr Hou focused on introducing the strategic tasks and major measures during the 15th Five-Year period that would play a significant leading, driving, and supporting role in advancing Chinese modernisation. Combining these with Hong Kong's situation, he particularly elaborated on the contents of the Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan on achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology; promoting high-standard opening up; promoting coordinated regional development; and other aspects. He said that upholding open cooperation and mutual benefit and win-win outcomes is an inherent requirement of Chinese modernisation. The Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan focus on promoting broader international economic flows, advancing reform and development through greater openness and sharing opportunities and achieving common development with the rest of the world, and making plans for promoting high-standard opening up. Hong Kong is an international financial, shipping, and trade centre. By better leveraging its role as a two-way opening bridge and fully strengthening its function as "super connector" and "super value-adder", Hong Kong will certainly become a major channel and hub for attracting external resources, as well as a key platform for Mainland enterprises to go global, thereby playing a greater role in assisting the country's high-level opening up. The strategic plans and major measures set out in the Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan on promoting the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong will surely guide and advance the implementation of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong to open a new chapter, enabling Hong Kong to make greater contributions in the historical process of comprehensively building a modern socialist country and realising the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

     About 500 persons from various sectors of the community, including Hong Kong deputies to the National People's Congress, HKSAR members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, community leaders, representatives from industrial and commercial sectors, professional sectors, education sectors, media organisations, etc., and youth representatives, attended the seminar.

Ends/Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Issued at HKT 21:15

NNNN