Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan. Mostly about Northern Metropolis, the economy and tourism, with one section on education, housing and social issues. Long story short: everything will be enhanced. Buzzword count here.
Sample passage…
The HKSAR Government will, in line with the directions set out in the National 15th Five-Year Plan, fully leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantages under “One Country, Two Systems” of enjoying strong support from the motherland and being closely connected with the world, so as to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre, international trade centre, international maritime centre, and an international aviation hub, and to accelerate the development of high value-added maritime, aviation and related professional services. Hong Kong will also further strengthen its functions as a global offshore Renminbi business hub, an international asset management centre, and an international risk management centre, while promoting the development of new industries with competitive edge, such as commodities trading, high value-added supply chain services, etc.
It’s hard to see anything that isn’t already covered in existing policy addresses, budgets and other announced plans. Nor are there many (any?) details of how the various ideas will be implemented or their success measured. The Standard’s story explains that it is indeed intended as a ‘strategic guide’ rather than a list of targets.
RTHK reports…
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Janice Tse said the aim is to better align with the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan.
“Through this, we will better align ourselves with and serve national development, as well as seize the new opportunities,” she said.
“The Hong Kong five-year plan is strategic, forward-looking and operable. It lays out our goals for the next five years.”
…She added that the city’s five-year plan, the policy address and the budget will complement one another.
“The SAR government will organically integrate Hong Kong’s five-year plan with the annual policy address and budget.
…Tse said the blueprint and its alignment with the country’s Five-Year Plan would not replace Hong Kong’s free market economy. Instead, it establishes a clear strategic plan and vision for the market to develop in a more stable and transparent manner.
Writing on social media, Chef Executive John Lee described the drafting of the plan as “historic” and carries “great significance”.
Each section ends with an invitation for the public to submit their views – presumably in case you have better ideas on how Hong Kong can align with China’s 15th Five-Year Plan. Namely (as you know): a target of 4.5-5.0% annual GDP growth through 2030; self-reliance in essential supply chains; and a focus on ‘new quality productive forces’. The Hong Kong document doesn’t seem to have that much on these subjects, but PRC Five-Year Plans today are themselves broad/vague wishlists rather than old-style central planners’ targets for wheat and tractor production.
It’s all pretty harmless.
Meanwhile, the real alignment continues.
“Through this, we will better align ourselves with and serve national development, as well as seize the new opportunities,” she said.
And that is all one needs to know about yet another fake consultation. Our role now is to grease the wheels for the Beijing vision, egardless of whether it aligns with our particular circumstances.
“Organically”.
The HKSAR is really behind the times.
Lots of alignment, but no resilience.
At $400K++ per month, we expect better bullshit.
From page 4 of the Standard (link above), retired deputy police commissioner Albert Yuen Yuk-kin has become the head of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
Make of this what you will…
Re FEHD – more drones flying over bookshops