Ahead of the fourth anniversary of his taking office, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee published an article in Bauhinia Magazine reviewing his administration's achievements over the past four years. He said that, through the joint efforts of the government, various sectors of society and the public, the administration has made progress across a wide range of policy areas.
On government reform, Lee said the administration has established a "results-oriented" government over the past four years. The government has upheld and strengthened the executive-led system, deepened reforms to the governance framework, united different sectors of society in building HK, improved district governance, and fully implemented the principle of "patriots administering HK."
Lee said the government has been willing to break through vested interests and tackle long-standing livelihood issues through reform, while better integrating "a proactive government" with "an efficient market." Measures cited include introducing legislation to address substandard subdivided flats, ending what he described as decades of policy inaction; enacting subsidiary legislation to end a 10-year legal vacuum surrounding ride-hailing services; and increasing the supply of public housing through innovative "Light Public Housing" projects, helping reduce the waiting time for public rental housing by nearly one and a half years.
On economic development, Lee said HK's gross domestic product grew by 5.9% year on year in real terms during the first quarter of this year, marking the strongest quarterly performance in nearly five years. Merchandise exports increased by more than 23% compared with a year earlier.
Over the past four years, the median monthly employment earnings of workers rose from HK$20,000 to HK$23,600, representing a cumulative increase of 18%, he said.
Lee added that HK has maintained its position as the world's third-ranked international financial centre. In the latest World Competitiveness Yearbook, the city moved up one place to second globally, marking its third consecutive year of improvement. HK's talent competitiveness has risen by 10 places over the past four years and now ranks fourth worldwide.
He also said the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises has successfully brought 124 strategic enterprises to establish operations in HK. These companies are expected to generate a total investment of about HK$73 billion over the coming years and create approximately 25,000 jobs, including high-end research, scientific and management positions, providing fresh momentum for HK's industrial upgrading and talent development.
Lee said this year marks the beginning of the country's 15th Five-Year Plan period. To better align with the country's national development strategy, the HKSAR Government is formulating the city's first five-year development plan. A two-month public consultation began on June 15, and the plan is scheduled to be officially released later this year.
According to Lee, the five-year plan will set out HK's development vision and strategic direction for the next five years, covering the economy, industrial development, spatial planning, infrastructure, green transition, healthcare, education, housing, public safety and governance, as well as other areas related to people's livelihoods.
He said the plan will help build social consensus, improve development efficiency, and enable residents, businesses and society as a whole to share the benefits of future development.
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