'Govt aims to stop birth rate from falling off cliff'

The Hong Kong government is implementing new measures to address the territory's declining birth rate, with Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk stating that the goal is to manage the decline and prevent it from "falling off a cliff." Speaking at a Legco panel meeting about the 11 measures introduced in the recent Policy Address, Cheuk explained that one of the key changes is increasing the newborn baby bonus from HK$20,000 to HK$30,000 for couples having their second child or more.

A lawmaker from the New People's Party, Dominic Lee, questioned Cheuk about the government's ability to measure the effectiveness of these policies, expressing concern over Hong Kong's fertility rate dropping to 0.73 births per woman in 2025. Cheuk responded by emphasizing that the medium-term objective is to stabilize the decline and avoid a sharp drop, asserting that the current measures have already demonstrated some impact. He further noted that without these initiatives, the decline would likely be even more severe.

Lawmaker Rock Chen from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) suggested that the government should foster public confidence in Hong Kong's economic future by creating more opportunities across various industries. He argued that for individuals to feel comfortable about having children, they must believe that the next generation will have promising job prospects.

Cheuk affirmed that Hong Kong's economic momentum has significantly improved in recent years, and the government is committed to cultivating a supportive environment for families.