Chairman's Message - 首個五年規劃要聚焦四大發展願景
Hong Kong's first Five-Year Plan sets a strategic blueprint, with the upcoming Policy Address turning vision into action. The CGCC stands with the business community, championing four key visions that will shape our future.
In June this year, the Hong Kong SAR Government initiated a public consultation for its inaugural Five-Year Plan, signaling a significant shift in governance from annual measures to a more strategic, long-term deployment. The CGCC firmly believes that such a clear policy blueprint will not only ensure Hong Kong's optimal alignment with the nation's 15th Five-Year Plan but also foster a predictable and stable environment for our business and wider community. A well-defined development path is crucial for businesses to confidently allocate resources and expand operations. We propose that this foundational Five-Year Plan should address three core propositions: precisely positioning Hong Kong within the national 15th Five-Year Plan, transforming strategic opportunities into tangible industrial dividends, and fostering institutional innovation. These propositions, in turn, inform the four major development visions we advocate for.
Elevating Hong Kong's Role to a “Super-partner”
Hong Kong must move beyond merely being a "super-connector" between the mainland and international markets. We envision a more proactive role, where Hong Kong actively participates in and co-constructs the nation's development strategies, elevating our status to a "super-partner." The CGCC recommends leveraging our strengths in common law and international professional services to establish "Hong Kong Standards" that meet global benchmarks in burgeoning sectors like green finance and digital trade. Simultaneously, we should capitalize on the growing trend of mainland enterprises "going global" with their brands, positioning Hong Kong as the premier springboard for their products and services to reach the world. This strategic shift will solidify our position as the preferred platform for Belt and Road project financing and dispute resolution, transforming us from an intermediary into a true co-creator.
Accelerating Northern Metropolis Development Through Industrial Introduction
To accommodate Hong Kong's elevated role, we need dedicated spatial development. The Northern Metropolis is perfectly positioned for this, representing our most significant strategic growth area for the coming five years. The CGCC advocates for a development principle that prioritizes "industry-led, infrastructure-first, and livelihood-synchronized" growth, ensuring that industrial introduction precedes land development. We propose establishing "policy pilot zones" to explore innovative models such as "land-for-equity" and to actively attract leading enterprises in fields like artificial intelligence and biomedicine through targeted industrial chain investments. Crucially, land should also be reserved for small and medium-sized enterprises to cultivate a vibrant ecosystem of collaborative development across businesses of all sizes.
Empowering Traditional and Emerging Industries
Hong Kong's traditional strengths in finance, trade, and professional services are vital, while innovation and technology represent a crucial new growth pole. These sectors are not mutually exclusive; rather, they are complementary and mutually beneficial. The CGCC recommends guiding financial capital towards becoming "patient capital," offering the long-term funding support essential for emerging industries such as artificial intelligence and life and health technology. We also advocate for reshaping industry-academia collaboration through an "enterprise poses questions, universities provide answers" model, thereby creating an efficient two-way channel for converting research and development into mass production. Moreover, we propose developing the Northern Metropolis into an "international data hub" and a "Greater Bay Area computing power dispatch node" to provide the foundational infrastructure required for seamless industrial integration.
Shaping Hong Kong's City Brand Image
As our strategic layout takes shape, it is equally vital to translate Hong Kong's inherent competitiveness into a compelling and clear narrative. Our city's strengths are undeniable; Hong Kong ranked second globally in the 2026 World Competitiveness Yearbook, achieving top scores in areas such as tax policy, business regulations, operational efficiency, and professional service support. The CGCC hopes the Five-Year Plan will integrate these disparate highlights into a cohesive "Hong Kong City Brand" narrative. This must be complemented by leveraging Hong Kong's soft power in culture, sports, and tourism, fostering a deeper integration of the event economy with tourism to project a clear, consistent, and attractive Hong Kong brand to the global community.
Translating the Blueprint into Action
Ultimately, the true value of any plan is realized through its effective execution. The CGCC strongly recommends establishing a standing committee, comprising representatives from government, the business sector, think tanks, and academia, to regularly review the implementation progress of the Five-Year Plan. We believe that quantifiable metrics are essential to ensure that policy dividends are effectively translated into tangible benefits for our industries and enterprises. Furthermore, the annual Policy Address, as the government's operational program and administrative deployment, must be meticulously aligned with the strategic blueprint of this first Five-Year Plan, transforming its proposed development directions into concrete, actionable, and measurable implementation plans.
We are confident that Hong Kong's inaugural Five-Year Plan, synergized with the upcoming Policy Address, will forge a clear and prosperous path for our city's future development, unlocking strategic opportunities that the business community can eagerly embrace.
