Xia Baolong, head of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, conducted a two-day inspection tour of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region last week.

He gave several affirmations as he concluded his trip. First, he recognized the HKSAR government’s determination to align the city’s first five-year plan with the national 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30). He also affirmed the city’s efforts in safeguarding national security, as well as in boosting economic development and developing innovation and technology.

A less obvious but no less important message was the thumbs-ups Xia gave to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on the last day of his visit. According to the 7-38-55 Rule propagated by California-based psychologist Albert Mehrabian, 55 percent of meaning in communication is conveyed through body language. Perhaps the thumbs-up gesture  effectively communicated more about Xia’s feelings than his words.

Xia’s affirmations are widely interpreted as recognition of Hong Kong’ progress in safeguarding national security, making a medium-to-long-term development plan and boosting economic and innovation and technology (I&T) development in the past 12 months.

In June 2025, Xia laid down important directions for the city, including alerting Hong Kong to lingering national security threats. He reminded the city of the need to safeguard national security, resolve risks and conflicts in a timely manner, and promote development while preventing any systemic risks in Hong Kong’s economy and finance. The third direction deals with the rule of law and the last concerns the improvement of governance. The affirmations have been widely interpreted as  recognition of the overall performance of the HKSAR government over the past 12 months.

It is worth noting that the incorporation of the development of the Northern Metropolis into the National 15th Five-year Plan is a strategy to integrate the development of Hong Kong’s I&T sector into national strategy. Xia placed great emphasis on the development of the Northern Metropolis. On the first day of his visit, he inspected the key projects spanning industry, innovation, education and people’s livelihoods in the Northern Metropolis. His itinerary covered the site of the University Town in Hung Shui Kiu, the Microelectronics Centre at Yuen Long InnoPark and the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone (Hetao Zone).

In August 2023, the State Council issued the Development Plan for the Shenzhen Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone. The active involvement of the State Council in the development of the Hetao Zone, together with the incorporation of the Northern Metropolis into the 15th Five-year Plan (2026-30), has reinforced the perception that Hong Kong should align with the national medium- and long-term development blueprint. To our contentment, the pressing need to speed up the development of the Hetao Zone and the entire Northern Metropolis has not escaped the attention of Xia and Lee. As we have mentioned previously, procrastination is the thief of time.

Reporting to Xia, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho told the media earlier that exclusive legislation for the Northern Metropolis would soon be submitted to the Legislative Council. These laws may help speed up the development process. This means that the chain of strategic planning, land development, and legislative support is being completed at an accelerated pace. In addition to speed, we are also concerned about the guiding principles of the development process. The construction of the Northern Metropolis is guided by the principles of “planning-first”, “infrastructure-led”, “industry-driven”, and “livelihood-oriented”. These principles are basically sound.

Xia has concerned himself as much with the development of the Northern Metropolis as with the formulation of Hong Kong’s first five-year plan. During his meetings with the city’s officials, Xia emphasized that the formulation of the city’s five-year plan was an important manifestation of Hong Kong’s governance capacity, and public participation in the plan was an indispensable part of it. Unlike the working blueprints stipulated in a policy address, the five-year plan is a master design which serves as a medium-to-long-term strategic blueprint. The policy addresses will set targets based on the five-year plan.

Xia also realizes that livelihood issues will be challenging even in the best of circumstances. On the first day of his visit, he went to a light public housing project in Yuen Long and visited Kwu Chun Estate, which is one of the first public housing estates in the Kwu Tung North New Development Area in Sheung Shui. Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin told the media that Xia was pleased with the improvement in residents’ living conditions and rental arrangements at Yau Pok Road estate.

On the second day of his visit, Xia visited the new Huanggang Port, which is scheduled to open next month. The port is set to be the world’s largest land checkpoint and will feature an updated “collaborative inspection and joint clearance” model. He also visited a major international container terminal.

Two important takeaways from Xia’s visit are: Hong Kong must ensure that its future development aligns with the national strategies, and more efforts should be made to speed up the development of the Northern Metropolis.  It is hoped Xia’s inspection would boost Hong Kong’s integration with national development strategies.

Lei Wun-kong is a legislative councilor in Macao, the president of the Association of Legal Promotion of Macao, and a senior consultant of the Chinese Dream Think Tank.

Kacee Ting Wong is a barrister, part-time researcher of Shenzhen University Hong Kong and Macao Basic Law Research Center, chairman of the Chinese Dream Think Tank, and a district councilor.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.