Lee stated that Hong Kong’s first Five-Year Plan carries far-
reaching significance. Aligned with the country’s defined functional positioning for Hong Kong, it maps out a clear roadmap for the city’s future development, enabling all sectors of society to pool resources and march toward shared goals. She spoke highly of the Chamber’s long-standing contributions and role, underscoring the Chamber’s consistent patriotic stance of supporting the country and Hong Kong. During every government consultation and Legislative Council opinion collection exercise, the Chamber has proactively organized members to submit proposals, translating frontline business experience, industrial demands and international perspectives into pragmatic recommendations. It provides vital private-sector backing for the scientific formulation and refined implementation of the Five-Year Plan, standing as a key business partner bridging the HKSAR Government and the Legislative Council.
Boost NM development and unleash financial empowerment
On core industrial advancement, Lee pointed out that Hong Kong must consolidate its strengths as an international financial, shipping and trading hub, while fully advancing the Northern Metropolis (NM) and developing into an international innovation and technology center and a magnet for top-tier talent. She noted the Chamber’s unique edges of extensive networks, deep connections, rich experience and a solid membership base, qualifying it as a vital link connecting the Mainland industries and global markets. In particular, Chamber members can act as intermediaries to forge ties with industrial powerhouses across the Mainland such as the Yangtze River Delta, helping leading tech and innovation firms from the Mainland “go global” via Hong Kong. This will inject new growth drivers into Hong Kong’s economy while facilitating Chinese national brands and technologies to enter the international arena.
Elaborating on finance empowering new productive forces, Lee analyzed that as the country’s sole offshore financial center, Hong Kong boasts institutional strengths including free currency conversion and alignment with international regulations, enabling complementary and win-win development alongside Shanghai’s financial hub. Following central authorities’ approval for Hong Kong to launch RMB gold and gold futures trading, the deepened cooperation between the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited and the Shanghai Gold Exchange has unlocked new breakthroughs in cross-border financial collaboration. She suggested the Chamber rally its financial and industrial members to seize policy dividends, engage actively in cross-border financial coordination, and support Hong Kong to better leverage its financial prowess to underpin national innovation and the growth of new productive forces.
Attract leading enterprises and lower barriers for global expansion
Regarding the development of the NM, Lee stressed that drawing strategic flagship enterprises and building complete innovation and technology industrial chains carry greater weight than hardware infrastructure. Ultimately, the zone can collaborate with Nanshan in Shenzhen to build a national-level innovation hub. Leveraging its global networks, the Chamber can assist the government in attracting domestic and overseas strategic enterprises to set up operations, accelerate industrial clustering, and foster a sustainable innovation ecosystem, so the NM can truly serve the Greater Bay Area and nationwide tech development.
She added that the Hetao Co-operation Zone is a pivotal pilot zone for Hong Kong to break bottlenecks in cross-border factor flows and speed up tech advancement. Legislative Council members and NPC Deputies have long strived to pilot liberalization measures at Hetao, facilitating orderly cross-border flows of innovation factors including capital, personnel, data and biological samples, and dismantling scientific research and industrial barriers between the two sides. Drawing on the development experience of Xiongan New Area, she proposed the NM can evolve into a green smart city, setting a new urban development paradigm for Hong Kong. The Chamber’s business community will serve as a core driving force to turn this vision into reality.
On enterprises venturing overseas, Lee said Hong Kong’s role has upgraded from a “super connector” to a “super value-adder”. She explained that fierce competition and squeezed profit margins characterize the Mainland market, while Hong Kong’s rule of law, internationally recognized certification systems and professional service capabilities help Mainland enterprises align with global standards, boost brand premium, and tap high-end markets including the “Belt and Road” Initiative regions, ASEAN and Central Asia.
CGCC members serve as an indispensable bridge linking all sectors
Turning to collaboration between the legislature and business community, Lee remarked that the current Legislative Council is united and action-oriented. The 19 Chamber members in the Council form an invaluable bridge connecting the Legislative Council, government and business sectors. Well-versed in industry demands and cutting-edge industrial trends, they can accurately align policy formulation and legislative work, build industry consensus, voice grassroots concerns and drive policy implementation. She hopes the Chamber and the Legislative Council will deepen collaboration in the future, follow the direction of the Five-Year Plan, and work hand in hand on industrial upgrading, talent cultivation, tech transformation and opening-up. Leveraging Hong Kong’s educational advantages to attract global high-caliber talent, the two sides will accelerate the conversion of scientific research outcomes into new productive forces.
At the end of the interview, Lee shared that she maintains physical and mental wellness through daily brisk walking, sustaining ample energy to serve the community and advance Hong Kong’s development. She concluded that Hong Kong is presented with a golden window of opportunity with favorable timing, location and support from all sides. The Five-Year Plan charts a clear path for future growth. As a major local business organization, the Chamber will continue to fulfil its core mission of linking the Mainland and the world, uniting industry players and serving national development. It will work hand in hand with the Legislative Council, HKSAR Government and all sectors of society to consolidate Hong Kong’s traditional strengths and contribute Hong Kong’s strengths to the country’s high-quality development.
