Hong Kong's five-year plan puts people first

Editor's note: Kong Qingjiang, a special commentator for CGTN, is a senior professor at the Academy for Foreign-related Rule of Law under the China University of Political Science and Law. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The long-awaited first five-year plan for economic and social development (2026-2030)(FYP) of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has finally been unveiled. It is practical and people-centered, with a focus on public livelihood.

Grassroots families are most concerned about public housing, elderly care and healthcare services, and youth employment. To this end, the FYP "puts people at the center and takes the improvement of people's livelihood as the starting point and ultimate goal" at the top of it. The FYP states clearly at the outset that its development objective is to enhance citizens' well-being and strengthen their sense of gain, fulfillment and security.

While maintaining social stability and improving public service efficiency, it seeks to tackle population aging and shifts in the labor structure, build a sustainable livelihood security system, and ensure development serves the people and its benefits are shared by all.

The FYP upholds that the fruits of economic development should benefit all citizens. A standalone section is dedicated to people's livelihood and social development, systematically addressing grassroots concerns across eight key areas: housing, healthcare, elderly care, education, labor affairs, family support, youth development and social security.

Housing is the primary livelihood challenge to the densely populated HKSAR. The FYP is determined to continuously boost the supply of public rental housing, subsidized sale flats, and Light Public Housing, and to refine the home ownership ladder to meet the housing needs of households with different income levels.

While phasing out substandard subdivided flats in an orderly manner to provide safe and sanitary living environments for grassroots tenants, it also decides to accelerate land development and urban renewal to sustain a stable land supply for housing and improve living quality.

In an aging society like Hong Kong, elderly care services are another challenge. The FYP decides to adopt the principle of aging in place as the foundation and residential care as the backup, expand community and residential care as well as respite care services, and strengthen support for carers. The plan also focuses on optimizing cross-boundary elderly care arrangements and broadening Hong Kong residents' options for elderly care in the mainland, encouraging elderly persons to engage in society and the silver economy, and building age-friendly communities to cope with population aging.

Healthcare and education are other grassroots concerns. The FYP vows to improve the public healthcare system and optimize the allocation of public medical resources, consolidate a high-quality education system, support children from disadvantaged families and facilitate upward social mobility.

Labor rights and employment security are among the pressing livelihood pain points. In addition to safeguarding labor rights, improving occupational safety and health and fostering harmonious labor-management relations, the FYP pledges to balance labor importation with local employment, provide continuous skills training and enhance the employability of the general public.

The FYP offers systematic family support and aims to refine family support policies. Working families will receive support in raising children; community childcare and after-school care services will be expanded to ease parenting pressure.

Social security remains to be an issue in Hong Kong, where free capitalism has been practiced. Amid rising calls for social security, the FYP decides to develop a multi-tiered, fiscally sustainable social security system. The government will proactively identify families and individuals in need, deliver targeted assistance and help children from disadvantaged families gain opportunities for upward social mobility.

Youth development in Hong Kong has become an issue that cannot be ignored, as in other societies undergoing economic restructuring. The FYP aims to provide young people with opportunities in education, employment and home ownership, as well as personal development, and to broaden their development pathways in the Chinese mainland.

In a nutshell, the FYP gives full consideration to residents' day-to-day pressures, living costs and sense of fairness.

On the other hand, the framers of the FYP are fully aware that livelihood improvement depends on development: Without thriving industries, there will be insufficient funding for livelihood‑related initiatives, and without improved livelihoods, industries cannot retain talent. Therefore, the FYP attaches immense importance to the development dimension. It has charted the development path: Sustaining Hong Kong's status as an international financial center, fostering innovation and technology as new economic growth drivers, expanding development space via the Northern Metropolis and capturing national development opportunities through deeper Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cooperation, thereby addressing shortfalls in public services related to livelihoods.

To be specific, the FYP of the HKSAR has prioritized eight major centers, covering finance, shipping, trade, innovation and technology, culture and legal services with a view to delivering stable market expectations.

Far more than an additional document, the first FYP transforms the short-term, Policy Address-driven governance cycle into a closed loop: from medium- to long-term strategies to annual policy delivery by the chief executive, then to departmental key performance indicators, which ultimately boils down to improving livelihoods. Implementing the plan will undoubtedly strengthen young people's recognition that "Hong Kong has a promising future."

Lastly, it should be noted that the HKSAR's FYP aligns with, rather than being incorporated into, the national 15th Five-Year Plan. It fully embodies the people-centered governance philosophy. It also serves as a vivid practice of unswervingly implementing the principles of "One Country, Two Systems," "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy.

Respecting the HKSAR's right to independent planning, the plan charts long-term development based on Hong Kong's own realities and demonstrates the Central Government's firm stance of strongly supporting Hong Kong in achieving prosperity from stability and sustaining its long-term prosperity and stability.

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