Chief Executive John Lee announced Hong Kong's first five-year plan today (Sept. 16). Formulated in the opening year of the National 15th Five-Year Plan, this inaugural Five-Year Plan of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) represents a major initiative of the HKSAR Government to uphold and enhance the executive-led system and to improve the efficacy of its governance. It signals the strategic planning need for Hong Kong to proactively align with national development strategies, and better integrate into and serve the overall national development. It also provides an action agenda for forging consensus and uniting different sectors in society with a view to promoting Hong Kong's transition from stability to prosperity and achieving high-quality development of our city.
Lee stressed the need to expedite the planning and development of the Northern Metropolis. Hong Kong will guide the future spatial layout of our city with the vision of the "South North Dual Engine (Finance IT)". To foster the integrated development of education, technology, and talent, the Northern Metropolis will be developed with the objectives of university town, I&T, industry, and environment suitable for living, work, and travel. Hong Kong will forge ahead with the development of, among others, the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT), San Tin Technopole, and the Loop Hong Kong Park, for the mission of leveraging the Northern Metropolis as an important strategic vehicle for high-quality post-secondary education development, integration of technological and industry innovation, and attracting international high calibre talent. We also aim to develop the Northern Metropolis into a main platform for Hong Kong to deeply engage in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and to actively integrate into and serve the overall national development. It will also serve as a new engine for us to develop new quality productive forces.
As an internationalised university town that integrates talent cultivation, scientific research, transformation of outcomes, and industry development, the NMUT will drive the synergistic development among the industries, academia, and research, in a bid to achieve the integrated development of education, technology, and talent.
He emphasized that Hong Kong will expedite the development of the NMUT, promote capacity expansion and quality enhancement for post-secondary education, and foster the integration of industry development with academic sectors where Hong Kong enjoys an edge. In a flexible and innovative mode, jointly organise top-tier programmes, establish joint faculties and laboratories, and carry out high-calibre basic research with renowned Mainland and overseas institutions. Hong Kong will also step up our efforts to attract world-famous institutions or first-class scientific research institutes to establish a presence. Hong Kong will leverage the strengths of Hong Kong's internationalised post-secondary education sector to spearhead global education exchanges by proactively organising and participating in international post-secondary education events, and bringing together local and global education leaders to jointly explore key issues and the latest trends in post-secondary education. In the meantime, Hong Kong will support institutions in strengthening international exchanges and connections in areas such as research collaboration, student exchange, and talent development, etc., thereby further enhancing the international standing of our city's post-secondary education sector.
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