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Hong Kong's first Five-Year Plan will speed up the city's growth and expand its global reach, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in a pitch to win the lawmakers’ support.
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This came at the Legislative Council's question-and-answer session on Thursday, where 16 lawmakers raised issues spanning the economy, housing, talent, AI and education, on the city’s Five-Year Plan and Policy Address.
In his closing remarks, Lee stressed the blueprint's aim to bring residents better lives, more jobs and business opportunities.
Drawing on the country's vast market, advancing technology and continued growth, the city leader said Hongkongers could share in the dividends of a growing economy.
He added that more high-quality and diverse industries would be introduced, offering residents better income and more opportunities across the country and in international markets.
“The city’s first five-year vision was built on collective input from across society,” he said, expressing hope that lawmakers would back both the plan and the Policy Address.
Looking back at his four years in office, the city leader said he had built a results-oriented government, changing its culture with reforms to grow the economy and improve livelihoods. Lee highlighted an economic turnaround from a 3.7 percent contraction last year to a positive growth of 3.6 percent, with median monthly employment earnings up by a cumulative 20 percent over the past four years.
He also pointed to his government’s progress on long-standing problems, including faster public housing construction, Light Public Housing and a cut in the waiting time from 6.1 years to 4.8 years — a more than eight-year low. Additionally, he cited new rules on subdivided flats, ride-hailing regulation, the Northern Metropolis moving from blueprint to reality, and the enactment of Article 23 legislation.
