Hong Kong's Chief Executive, John Lee, participated in a radio phone-in programme on September 18, 2026, to discuss the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030) and his fifth Policy Address, both unveiled on September 16. The plan sets five main objectives: better livelihoods for all; breakthroughs in economic development; expanding global competitiveness and influence; faster development of the Northern Metropolis; and better serving the country.
On expanding global competitiveness, Lee stressed the importance of Hong Kong's international status. "The strength of Hong Kong is its international status, and we have been emphasising on how we ensure the internationalism or the 'internationalness' of Hong Kong. We are expanding to cover every part of the world where we can reach," he said, noting the Government's offices, including Economic and Trade Offices, and the offices of Invest Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, in countries around the world. "I'm very serious about expanding our network." Since taking office four years ago, Lee has led delegation visits to regions including ASEAN Member States, the Middle East, and recently Central Asia, with colleagues also visiting South Africa and Kenya.
To boost Hong Kong's influence in overseas markets, Lee highlighted the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed). "We are very proud to have the headquarters of IOMed set up in Hong Kong, because this is an organisation which is of United Nations status," he said. He added that an international office would be set up in Hong Kong under the global network of corruption prevention authorities. "Hong Kong is an international city, which not just is very good at doing business, but is exercising its responsibility as a global participator, and also, we really can contribute."
The First Five-Year Plan and the 2026 Policy Address place strong focus on speeding up the development of the Northern Metropolis (NM) project, aiming to boost long-term economic development, improve people's livelihoods, and help the city further integrate into overall national development. "The Northern Metropolis represents about one third of our geographical area. So it is a big piece of land that gives us new opportunities. An opportunity to upgrade ourselves, both from the accommodation angle as well as development angle," Lee said. Beyond core economic strengths such as finance, shipping, and trade, Lee said the NM would provide room for diversifying local industries, creating new jobs and a brighter future as more development opportunities emerge from different kinds of industries as well as closer alignment with national development. "The NM is actually mentioned in our country's 15th Five-Year Plan. That means it is not just a Hong Kong development, it has been elevated as a state-driven project. And with the elevation of position, we will have to work hard. And I am sure that the Central Government will also help us to ensure that this will be a success story."
On artificial intelligence (AI), Lee stressed the need to take advantage of opportunities while protecting against risks such as crime, fraud, sexual abuse, and potential negative impacts on younger people. "Last year, we talk very much about how we should benefit from the application of AI, how it will do things faster, and how it will also do things more correctly," he said. "So while we develop and ensure people understand and use it, we also need to tell everybody the potential risks that it will bring." Lee announced the Government would create a post of Commissioner for AI, who would be "the chief for the whole government, in terms of AI. It means setting the policy. It means coordinating resources, identify problems for them, setting the best practices, issuing guidelines. And also, very importantly, is developing AI for the whole of government with a view to, after we have developed our experience, let the world also learn from these experiences."
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