HONG KONG, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), delivered his fifth policy address during his term on Wednesday, themed "A Strategic Vision for a Bright New Era, Driving Reform and Boosting Development, Unleashing Opportunities and Enhancing Livelihood".
Over the past four years, Hong Kong has repeatedly scaled new heights in global rankings through the concerted efforts of the government and community, Lee said. The city has been consistently ranked the world's freest economy, rose to second in world competitiveness, secured third as an international financial center, and jumped to fourth globally in talent competitiveness.
Lee noted that Hong Kong is at a critical juncture in advancing from stability to prosperity. The next five years will be a crucial period for the country to advance Chinese modernization, as well as a golden window for Hong Kong to achieve development of higher quality.
Hong Kong's first five-year plan for economic and social development (2026-2030) maps out the blueprint to proactively align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan, while this policy address serves as the action agenda to propel the implementation of the city's own five-year plan and sets out key policy priorities and major projects formulated in response to economic outlook and dynamics to seize both national and international opportunities, Lee said, adding that the two documents are interconnected and inextricably related. ■
