Today marks a historic first for Hong Kong. The city has published its own Five-Year Plan alongside the annual Policy Address. While the Policy Address sets out yearly priorities, this is the first time Hong Kong has a medium-term blueprint.
Why a Five-Year Plan?
The city's biggest challenges-housing that takes years to build, an ageing population, one of the world's lowest fertility rates, and economic restructuring, cannot be solved in a single year. The plan also arrives in the opening year of the nation's 15th Five-Year Plan, signalling a shift toward a more proactive, capable government.
Two Documents, Working Together
Here is how the two documents work together. The Five-Year Plan is the macro roadmap for 2026 to 2030; the Policy Address is the action plan for the first year. For instance, the plan targets expanding the Northern Metropolis university towns to over 1,000 hectares, while the Policy Address sets milestones for releasing campus land at Hung Shui Kiu in 2026.
What's Inside?
The plan sets five main goals: breakthroughs in economic development; stronger international competitiveness; faster Northern Metropolis progress; better people's well-being; and greater integration with national development. Six strategic areas support these goals: from strengthening the four major centres and a talent hub, to Greater Bay Area integration, Northern Metropolis development, livelihood improvement, and better public governance.
With over 100 consultation sessions and more than 28,000 submissions, the government has heard directly from the public. For most people, the top concerns are housing, fertility measures, and the Northern Metropolis. We'll break each down in separate videos. Stay tuned, and see you next time.
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