Hong Kong minister urges steady course for first Five-Year Plan
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Janice Tse says Hong Kong's first Five-Year Plan should avoid frequent changes to maintain market confidence, but be reviewed annually via the Policy Address. The plan drew over 17,000 submissions, with most sorted using AI.
Hong Kong's first Five-Year Plan should stay the course but be reviewed each year through the Policy Address, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Janice Tse Siu-wah has said.
In an interview with Sing Tao Daily, Tse said frequent changes to a development plan would cost market and investor confidence. She added that the Policy Address was the best occasion to review progress when the overall direction was right.
The plan, which Tse took charge of after taking office in late March, drew more than 17,000 submissions, with over 80 per cent from individuals – a response she believed showed a shared wish for a better Hong Kong. She stressed the plan would put people first and aim to make the city more liveable and business-friendly, bringing happiness and a sense of gain to all.
Most submissions were filed through a designated webpage and sorted using artificial intelligence, Tse said. She recalled one resident who suggested the city should not only invite European football clubs, joking that South American football was good to watch too. Among the submissions were also letters written on the back of old calendars and almanac paper, and others from Hong Kong emigrants who had left years ago but still cared about the city.
Turning to Macau's move to explore third-party evaluation in its third Five-Year Plan, Tse said Hong Kong had yet to decide, but that scrutiny from residents, media, civil groups and professional bodies already functioned as one. When asked why only five of the plan's 22 main indicators are binding, Tse said setting quantitative targets required careful thought. She indicated that GDP growth is hard to predict because it reflects the performance of all sectors, but indicators are necessary to keep economic growth at a reasonable rate.
Addressing concerns over the use of mainland terminology and slogans in the plan, Tse said each term has a precise meaning that cannot be replaced with everyday language if Hong Kong is to align with the national plan. With less than a year left in the current government's term, Tse brushed off questions about seeking another term, saying it was not on her radar.