Hong Kong development chief rejects preamble for northern areas bill
Hong Kong's development secretary told lawmakers on 12 November 2026 that the government would not add a preamble to the Northern Greater Bay Area Development Bill, despite calls from legislators to highlight its historical significance. He said the bill's context and goals are already documented el
Hong Kong's secretary for development told the Legislative Council on 12 November 2026 that the government would not add a preamble to the Northern Greater Bay Area Development Bill, despite calls from some lawmakers to do so.
During the committee stage of the bill, the secretary was responding to legislators who had proposed a preamble to emphasise the bill's historic and unique nature. He thanked lawmakers for their detailed scrutiny of the bill, noting that the government had already addressed many of their observations in its amendments.
The secretary said the bill is designed to help Hong Kong align with the national '15th Five-Year Plan' and implement the 'Hong Kong First Five-Year Plan'. He argued that the bill's background and objectives have been and will continue to be set out in many documents and occasions, making a separate preamble unnecessary.
He assured lawmakers that after the bill is passed, the government will continue to explain its significance as they had suggested. The exchange came as the Legislative Council considered amendments to the bill, which aims to drive development in the northern part of the city.
The secretary's remarks were made in Cantonese and published in a government press release on the evening of 12 November 2026.