‘Further reforms’: John Lee vows more changes ahead for economy

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged to push for “further reforms” despite geopolitical risks in the final year of his current term, citing how he had steered Hong Kong through a sustained period of economic growth since taking over in 2022.

Noting how the economy had rebounded strongly, the city leader also said that Hong Kong’s first five-year plan would secure policy continuity while making sure the government’s “attention, energy and resources” would be aligned with national and global developments.

“The road to further reforms and making changes to long-standing problems still has a lot of challenges and tasks ahead. We will continue to work hard,” Lee told the South China Morning Post in an exclusive interview.

“There are interim risks, of course. I think economically, we have quite a positive outlook.”

He backed his confidence by pointing to the government’s recent forecast of full-year real growth at between 2.5 and 3.5 per cent, buoyed by a 5.9 per cent year-on-year expansion in the first three months of 2026 – the fastest quarterly pace since 2021.

Lee also cited broad-based recoveries across multiple sectors, including double-digit growth in tourism arrivals and merchandise exports, alongside a stabilisation in domestic consumption.