When Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu delivered the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s inaugural five-year plan in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, it was clearly the product of careful thought. During the two-month consultation exercise, the government received over 17,000 submissions, with 80 percent coming from individuals. Lee said earlier that he wanted the people of Hong Kong “to share in the dividends of development, and feel a sense of happiness and fulfillment”, and he has got things off to a flying start.

The plan aligns with the national 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), adopted by the National People’s Congress in March, and Lee called it “forward-looking and directional”. Its proposals are wide-ranging, including, for example, the economy, technology (artificial intelligence) and public welfare. The aim is Hong Kong’s “long-term prosperity and stability”, which it will achieve in various ways. It will, for example, build on traditional strengths, advance the Northern Metropolis megaproject, enhance global cooperation, leverage legal strengths (including dispute resolution), and consolidate the city’s status as an international finance center. The plan aims to create an environment where people can flourish, and Lee’s blueprint points the way.

While the plan maps out the strategic direction, the accompanying Policy Address remains an annual report, explaining how the plan will be implemented year by year.

On the Chinese mainland, national five-year plans have existed since 1953, and Lee understandably highlighted the “historic mission” of the SAR’s own plan. He placed heavy emphasis on youth, hoping greater employment opportunities will become a reality and thereby “turning governance from measures into results”. Indeed, the think tank Youth Ideas found that more than half of its youthful respondents wanted the plan to focus on improving livelihoods and happiness, coupled with economic growth that benefited all sectors equally, and the proposals will hopefully satisfy their expectations.

The plan has been skillfully drafted and is firmly rooted in the successes of Lee’s governance. For example, the SAR has witnessed a remarkable resurgence in initial public offerings of firms seeking funding. In June, it was ranked second globally in the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2026 (out of the 70 economies surveyed). Within the individual categories, the SAR was rated first for tax policy and business legislation, second for finance and government efficiency, third for international trade and investment and education and management practices, eighth for infrastructure, and 11th for economic performance.

This was no mean feat, and it came on the back of Lee’s “results-oriented” strategy. For example, the SAR has taken the lead in seeking greater connectivity with Central Asia and the Middle East, and has encouraged deeper integration with the Chinese mainland (including the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area). It has also recognized how the SAR’s unique positioning enables it to connect international firms to the mainland’s markets, and they are increasingly taking advantage of the doors it has helped open.

At the same time, the plan places an appropriate focus on national security, which Lee called “the bedrock of Hong Kong’s steady development”. The lessons of the insurrection of 2019-20 are fresh in people’s minds, and security and economic development necessarily go hand in hand. Without an orderly environment, businesses cannot flourish, and foreign investors will not risk their capital in a place that might suddenly descend into chaos.

Lee also pledged to enhance not only “the legal system and enforcement mechanism for safeguarding national security”, but also the social governance system “to prevent risks and resolve challenges of various sorts”. National security education will be strengthened, and a sense of “nationhood, national affection and national identity” fostered among young people. With the passage of the two national security laws (the second on Lee’s watch in 2024), the “one country, two systems” policy is secure, and the dividends are clear. However, as the plan acknowledged, ensuring national security remains a work in progress, with no room for complacency.

The plan’s commitment to safeguarding children’s well-being will also be welcomed. Support for child-abuse victims and their families will be strengthened through, for example, better reporting mechanisms and the child protection support service teams, and child care services will be enhanced. The idea is to increase child care places from about 1,500 in 2025 to about 3,300 in 2030, with the overall objective of “weaving a comprehensive and effective safety net for children”, which cannot come too soon.

Although huge progress is envisaged, it will occur within the context of the “one country, two systems” policy. Lee earlier explained that Hong Kong’s “original system” will be unaffected by the changes, and that the plan “will uphold Hong Kong’s rule of law and capitalist system, implement the Basic Law, and adhere to ‘one country, two systems’ without distorting Hong Kong”. Although this was never in serious doubt, his words are nonetheless reassuring.

Lee emphasized that the SAR’s established status as an international city with the “free flow of capital, people, goods and information” will continue under the plan. Its capitalist market will flourish as always, with greater opportunities. This should surprise nobody, as the national Five-Year Plan envisages no less. After all, President Xi Jinping has described the “one country, two systems” policy as a “good system” that “must be adhered to over the long run”, and the SAR’s five-year plan can undoubtedly take it to new heights.

The author is a senior counsel and law professor, and was previously the director of public prosecutions of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.