LCQ6: Alignment with country's development plans
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Question:
The Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan outline the country's development in the next five years and make special arrangements to promote long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the specific policy options to proactively align with the Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan, including how to broaden economic development and growth, accelerate the development and application of innovation and technology, and expedite the upgrading of industry structures, so as to align with the country's development;
(2) as there are views that the Northern Metropolis will be crucial to Hong Kong's economic and innovation development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, how the Government will strengthen co-operation between the Northern Metropolis and other Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, such as formulating joint policies to promote division of work in development, streamlining the administration workflows, advancing infrastructure construction, and expediting the implementation of the Northern Metropolis Action Agenda and the Conceptual Outline of the Development Plan for the Innovation and Technology Industry in the San Tin Technopole, so as to align with the country's planning and development; and
(3) whether the Government will, apart from formulating one-year policy planning through the annual Policy Address, proactively align with the country's planning and arrangements and formulate "five-year plans" in the long run, so as to align with the country's macro development direction?
Reply:
President,
Having consulted the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB) and the Development Bureau (DEVB), our reply in response to the questions raised by Dr the Hon Johnny Ng is as follows:
(1) The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) deliberated and adopted the Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development (the Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan) in October last year. The Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan provide top-level design and strategic blueprint for the country’s development over the next five years, comprehensively devising the strategic tasks and major initiatives during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and clarifying the approaches and key tasks in priority areas ranging from industrial development, technological innovation, domestic market, economic system, opening-up, rural revitalisation, and regional development, to cultural construction, safeguarding people's livelihoods, green development, safe development, and national defence. All of these strategic tasks and major initiatives will bring boundless opportunities for Hong Kong's future development, and therefore all sectors of Hong Kong society must seize them firmly. For example, in terms of improving regional economic structures, Hong Kong should deeply engage in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, while strengthening interactive co-operation with other Mainland regional economies for mutual benefit, win-win results, and mutual advancement. In terms of international co-operation, Hong Kong should continue to deepen international exchanges and co-operation, attract global high-end talents and capital, and play its dual roles of assisting Mainland enterprises to "go global" and attracting overseas investment. In terms of green development, Hong Kong should promote green finance and carbon neutrality practices to support the country's ecological civilisation construction, while fostering the development of local environmental industries. As for the innovation and technology development that Member is concerned about, the Government announced the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint in 2022. In addition, the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone (the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park) officially opened in December 2025. Hong Kong and Shenzhen will strive for trial implementation of dedicated cross-boundary policy measures to facilitate the convenient flow of important innovation elements including personnel, materials, capital and data within the Loop, endeavouring to become a testing zone for new rules and innovation and cultivate a testing ground for institutional and policy innovation, in response to the goals and requirements for high-quality development as well as self-reliance and strength in science and technology in the Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan. From the above, it can be seen that the work of aligning with the 15th Five-Year Plan is all-round, in-depth and multi-dimensional, covering extensive areas. The Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan also make important plans for Hong Kong's development, proposing to consolidate, enhance, build and develop the "Four Centres and One Highland", namely the international financial, shipping, trade and innovation and technology centres, as well as the highland of international top-tier talent. These plans not only represent the direction and driving force for Hong Kong's long-term development in the future, but also align with the country's development positioning and are conducive to the country's development needs, precisely leveraging Hong Kong's strengths to serve the country's needs. At present, policy bureaux and departments of the HKSAR Government are actively studying in-depth on how to proactively align with the Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan in their respective scopes and purviews. After the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan is adopted at the session of the National People's Congress later, the policy bureaux will take forward the relevant alignment work in full swing. The Steering Group on Integration into National Development led by the Chief Executive will also provide high-level, all-round guidance, co-ordination and supervision to effectively implement the relevant work, ensuring that the HKSAR fully aligns with the 15th Five-Year Plan and promotes high-quality development for both the country and Hong Kong.
(2) As regard the development of the Northern Metropolis (NM), it is an important measure taken by the HKSAR Government to actively align with the 15th Five-Year Plan, as well as an important engine driving Hong Kong's future economic and social development. It helps promote the high-quality development and foster more comprehensive co-operation of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. We are moving full steam ahead to develop the NM, expedite the construction and attract industries. At the same time, as mentioned above, the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park already officially opened in December 2025, and the ITIB has also promulgated the Conceptual Outline of Development Plan for Innovation and Technology Industry in San Tin Technopole, setting a clear development strategy for the San Tin Technopole.
Recently, in addition to launching the tender exercise for the first pilot area under the large-scale land disposal approach within the NM, DEVB is also actively preparing for the Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park Company Limited's commencement of operation in mid-2026. DEVB will conduct a public consultation on the dedicated legislation to accelerate the development of the NM in the first quarter, and has recently introduced to the industry and stakeholders the administrative measures to expedite approval of private projects within the NM. The HKSAR Government will continue to maintain close liaison with the Shenzhen side on matters relating to NM development through the Task Force for Collaboration on the NM Development Strategy. Both sides will conduct joint discussions on matters related to cross-boundary development and construction.
(3) The HKSAR Government attaches utmost importance to the work of proactively aligning with the country's "Five-Year Plans". The Chief Executive delivers the Policy Address annually, setting out to the Legislative Council and all sectors of the community the major policy directions and concrete measures to be launched by the Government in the coming year. These policy measures maintain consistency and are highly aligned with the national "Five-Year Plans". In fact, since the promulgation of the 14th Five-Year Plan, each year's Policy Address has included specific policy initiatives aimed at consolidating and strengthening Hong Kong's role as the "eight centres" outlined in the plan. The Government also formulates development blueprints from time to time for key policy areas, manifesting medium- to long-term development planning, such as the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint and the Chinese Medicine Development Blueprint. All these demonstrate that the HKSAR Government attaches great importance to the long-term planning and development of the HKSAR. The establishment by the Government of the Steering Group on Integration into National Development to steer the 14th Five-Year Plan and the 15th Five-Year Plan is in itself a mature and established mechanism for comprehensively aligning with the country's "Five-Year Plans".
The 15th Five-Year Plan will bring boundless development opportunities to Hong Kong. The HKSAR Government will certainly lead all sectors of Hong Kong society to work together to fully and proactively align with the 15th Five-Year Plan, so as to promote the long-term high-quality development of the country and Hong Kong, integrate into and at the same time serve the overall national development, and contribute to the country's building of a great country and the great rejuvenation of the nation.
Thank you, President.
Ends/Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Issued at HKT 19:44
Issued at HKT 19:44
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