September set as target for HKSAR's inaugural five-year plan release date

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government aims to publish its inaugural five-year plan (2026-30) in September, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Sunday.

Speaking after attending the second district forum on the first five-year plan and the 2026 Policy Address at Kowloon Tong Government Primary School, Lee said the HKSAR government has conducted more than 90 consultation sessions since the public engagement exercise began in June.

The exercise has drawn substantial public participation, with about 13,800 submissions relating to the five-year plan and about 8,500 others concerning the Policy Address.

Lee emphasized the close link between the two, noting that the government will strive to align their release timelines as closely as possible. An earlier release of the plan would help the public better understand how the two frameworks relate to each other and affect people's well-being, he said.

The second district forum lasted about two hours and drew roughly 120 participants, including grassroots residents, retirees, students and members of ethnic minority groups.

"I attach great importance to the district forums that provide an important channel for understanding the issues of greatest concern to members of the public," Lee said.

"We'll consolidate these valuable views in a holistic manner, analyze them and consider incorporating them into Hong Kong's five-year plan and the Policy Address, ensuring that policy measures are effectively implemented by the government, as well as translating our blueprint into tangible outcomes for economic development and the improvement of people's livelihoods."

Twenty-seven residents from a wide cross-section of society, including young people, cultural workers, engineers, school principals, teachers, district councilors and businesspeople, voiced their views on a broad range of social issues, with youth development emerging as the most pressing concern.

On housing, a resident said that for Hong Kong's youth, buying a home often hinges less on personal effort and more on having a "rich father".

The resident urged the government to restructure Hong Kong's housing ladder with the inaugural five-year plan in order to create a genuinely fluid pathway that would restore young people's hope of settling down.

In the cultural and tourism sector, a cultural arts practitioner suggested that authorities further consolidate the multi-destination travel strategy to attract more international visitors to Hong Kong and then channel them into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Another attendee proposed that the government, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Productivity Council as well as overseas and Chinese mainland economic and trade offices, launch an acceleration program to help local artificial intelligence, robotics and embodied-intelligence enterprises expand globally.

In response, Lee underscored the government's ongoing commitment to enriching the property ladder, with particular attention to youth development. He noted that the planning of the Northern Metropolis presents new opportunities in this regard.

Turning to culture and branding, Lee stressed the importance of building an internationally recognized "Hong Kong brand". While the government will provide support through funding, venues and policy measures to foster diverse creative initiatives, he acknowledged that ultimate success depends on the collective efforts of industry players.

On talent policy, Lee reiterated that the government would adopt a demand-driven approach, tailoring talent admission categories to actual needs.

Several principal officials attended the forum, including Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, acting Secretary for Justice Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Janice Tse Siu-wa.