John Lee to begin public consultation on term’s final policy address on Monday

Hong Kong’s leader has announced that a public consultation for the final policy address of the current term will begin on Monday, with the exercise also set to gauge views on the city’s first five-year plan.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Thursday, after meeting tertiary education leaders to discuss the plan, that the consultation would start next week.

“The consultation will collect opinions on both the five-year plan and the policy address, with the government to organise and incorporate them accordingly,” Lee said.

He described the city’s first five-year plan, which aims to align with the national development blueprint for China’s economic and social targets spanning 2026 to 2030, as outlining an overall direction for Hong Kong, while the policy address would focus on more concrete measures.

Hong Kong aims to publish the plan in the third quarter of this year. The consultation for the five-year blueprint began last Monday.

The consultation document covers six major policy areas, comprising 29 policy directions and key proposals, including the development of the Northern Metropolis.