Public feedback welcomed to shape strategies on governance, development

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will conduct public consultations for the upcoming 2026 Policy Address and the city’s first local five-year plan simultaneously, as Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said both documents are “in the same vein” of governance.

Lee announced on Thursday that the new Policy Address consultation will begin on Monday, overlapping with the ongoing consultation for the five-year plan, which began on June 15 and will continue through Aug 14.

Both blueprints are scheduled for release later this year. The upcoming Policy Address is expected to be delivered in September or October, while the government aims to publish the five-year plan by the end of the third quarter. The Policy Address will be the fifth and final one of the current administration, which took office in July 2022.

Lee said that the five-year plan consultation has already received nearly 1,000 submissions through over 10 public sessions, many of which touch on both the long-term direction and the annual targets.

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He said that whether submissions are made jointly or separately, all feedback will be collated, analyzed, and considered in the drafting of both policy documents.

Lee said that the five-year plan and the new Policy Address are “in the same vein” of governance. The former serves as a “forward-looking, strategic, and directional” blueprint for the SAR’s economic and social development over the next five years, while the latter outlines targeted annual policies and timely adjustments, he said.

He added that he and his team will continue engaging directly with communities through online and offline consultation sessions. The government will soon launch a dedicated website, Facebook page, email address, phone hotline, and fax line for Policy Address submissions. A dedicated five-year plan portal is already online at hk5yplan.gov.hk.

On Thursday, Lee also met with 33 postsecondary-education representatives as part of the five-year plan consultation to gather views on the development of the Northern Metropolis University Town. Lee said he had received constructive feedback.

Tim Lui Tim-leung, chairman of the University Grants Committee, which funds eight local higher education institutions, said the five-year plan consultation paper sets a clear direction for the education sector: to develop the university town, build Hong Kong into an international education hub, and promote the integration of education, technology and talent development.

“Its flexible framework, without preset restrictions on models or projects, shows the government’s respect for institutional autonomy,” Lui said. He added that a complete ecosystem is essential to attracting international talent and organizations.

John Chai Yat-chiu, chairman of the Chinese University of Hong Kong Council, said meeting discussions included expanding academic programs and strengthening overseas exchange collaborations.

He said that local educators at the meeting endorsed the expansion of the planned university town from 100 to 1,000 hectares, creating a “university district” integrating education, innovation and technology, talent, industry, and urban development.

Chai said that the enlarged area will include major innovation parks such as San Tin Technopole and the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, adding he welcomes the concept and praised it as groundbreaking.

Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com