Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee announced the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030) and his fifth Policy Address on September 16, rolling out measures to sharpen Hong Kong's edge amid global competition, consolidate development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and promote green transformation. The plan, detailed in a Media OutReach Newswire release, aims to support high-quality development of the GBA, align rules and mechanisms within the region, and promote cross-boundary collaboration.
"The HKSAR Government will continue its efforts in fostering synergistic development of the GBA," said Mr. Lee. "We will strengthen co-operation in technological innovation, promote 'hard connectivity' in infrastructure, foster 'soft connectivity' by deepening the alignment of rules and mechanisms, and achieve 'connectivity of hearts' among residents of the three places." The government will actively participate in major co-operation platforms, including Qianhai, Nansha, Hengqin, and the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Co-operation Zone, to promote mutual benefits.
In terms of "hard connectivity," the HKSAR Government will support Nansha in its role as a high-standard gateway for opening up, including encouraging trade participation in Nansha's infrastructure development. "To promote the co-ordinated development of rail transit in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, we are pressing ahead with the Northern Link Project and the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Rail Link (Hung Shui Kiu-Qianhai), with target commissioning in 2034 and 2035 respectively, to fully connect the rail transit networks of Hong Kong and Shenzhen," Mr. Lee said. Regarding "soft connectivity," a Task Force will explore ways to advance the alignment of rules and mechanisms within the GBA. To achieve "Connectivity of Hearts," Hong Kong will strengthen co-operation between its higher education institutions and those in other GBA cities by establishing cross-disciplinary partnerships, facilitating scientific research, knowledge transfer, and commercialisation.
Hong Kong's Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Janice Tse, noted that the First Five-Year Plan clearly states Hong Kong will participate in developing the GBA into an international first-class bay area and a world-class city cluster with global influence. "Hong Kong will forge closer alignment and synergy with the nine GBA cities in Guangdong Province and Macao, making full use of our respective advantages to jointly promote the high-quality development of the GBA," Miss Tse said.
To foster financial development, Hong Kong will continue to capitalise on institutional innovation, financial infrastructure upgrading, and enhanced regulatory alignment to encourage the orderly flow of financial elements among GBA cities. The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited's Core Climate, in collaboration with the Guangzhou Power Exchange Centre, is working towards pilot trading of national renewable-energy green electricity certificates in Hong Kong in 2026.
"On connecting the Chinese Mainland and the world, the HKSAR Government will continue to support green technology development through the HK$400 million (about US$51 million) Green Tech Fund, leveraging Hong Kong's function as a springboard for green technology and assisting national green technologies and products in going global," said Hong Kong's Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Tse Chin-wan. "On the development of hydrogen energy, we have participated in drafting national hydrogen energy standards with a view to helping these standards align with international practice."
To meet the country's "dual carbon" targets and fulfil Hong Kong's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality before 2050, the HKSAR Government steered the establishment of a production base for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Dongguan, leveraging the leading position of Hong Kong enterprises in the international SAF industry. "By combining technology strengths with industrial foundation, Hong Kong and Guangdong will jointly develop a globally influential green industry," Mr. Lee said. The government will take forward the construction of an SAF blending facility in Hong Kong to build an end-to-end SAF value chain and reduce logistics costs to make SAF prices more competitive. The target is to achieve an SAF consumption ratio of 1% to 3% for flights departing from Hong Kong International Airport in 2030.
Hong Kong's Five-Year Plan also promotes integrated development of culture, sports, and tourism to develop the GBA into a cultured bay area. Under the Agreement on Strengthening of Sports Cooperation and Promotion of Integrated Development, Hong Kong will deepen co-operation and strive to co-organise important regional and international single-sport events. It will also strengthen cultural exchanges, pass on Cantonese opera and Lingnan culture, and promote sales and cross-boundary exhibition of Hong Kong publications. For more information, visit https://www.brandhk.gov.hk/.
