Local five-year plan may be rolled out sooner: CE

Chief Executive John Lee said Hong Kong's first five-year development plan might be rolled out by the end of the third quarter, earlier than the year-end release that had been originally envisaged. Speaking in a joint interview with RTHK and Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group, Lee said the government had expected to face challenges in preparation work for the development blueprint. He pointed out that it took mainland cities 18 months to two years to complete their own blueprint despite years of experience, while Hong Kong had no such track record. But the drafting progress was better than expected, Lee said, thanks to the government’s hard work and cooperation of lawmakers and society. “I agree that the sooner the five-year plan is rolled out, the better," he said. "Once the blueprint is released, people will have a clear understanding of the direction of development. “Once all citizens are aware of the direction, people will focus more on the policies – while my annual policy address can focus on responding to and aligning with the requirements and directions stated in the blueprint.” Lee also said the government has learned from the experiences of mainland cities – especially those in the Greater Bay Area and Shanghai – as well as Macao. The CE said the government will host several consultation events during the two-month public consultation period that starts on Monday. Lee said he would explain the blueprint to the public in person while collecting their opinions to build consensus. Edited by Edmond Fong