Hong Kong 5-year plan to stick with capitalism, uphold ‘one country, two systems’: John Lee

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu unveiled Hong Kong's first five-year plan on Monday, emphasizing that it will uphold the city's capitalist system while fully exploiting its advantages for long-term development. The plan, focused on the economy, aims to create employment opportunities and upward mobility for citizens, ultimately enabling them to flourish.

Lee addressed concerns that the five-year plan would change Hong Kong's laissez-faire system, stating that it would uphold the rule of law, the Basic Law, and the "one country, two systems" principle. The plan was developed after studying experiences from Macau and mainland cities, with input from over 17,000 public submissions, 80% of which came from individuals.

Lee also highlighted the use of artificial intelligence to analyze public feedback during the consultation process. The five-year plan will map out Hong Kong's long-term development priorities and align with the national blueprint for the country's development between 2026 and 2030. The annual policy address, which will be Lee's last in his current five-year tenure, will continue to serve as an annual report and outline how the government will implement the plan in a given year.