"2026 Bauhinia Cultural Forum" opens in Hong Kong, focusing on the implementation path of Hong Kong's first five-year plan

China News Service, Hong Kong, October 9 (Reporter Qiu Zhaoxiang) The "2026 Bauhinia Cultural Forum" opened in Hong Kong on the 9th. With the theme of "Drawing a Five-Year Plan to Lead Hong Kong's Future Development", this forum brought together more than 200 political, business and academic leaders and professionals from home and abroad to focus on the implementation path of Hong Kong's first five-year plan and explore how Hong Kong can better integrate into and serve the overall development of the country.

On October 9, the "2026 Bauhinia Cultural Forum" opened at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. The picture shows the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Lee Ka-chiu (center in the front row) and other guests attending the forum launch ceremony. Photo by China News Service reporter Zhang Xiangyi

Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said in his speech that Hong Kong’s first five-year plan is a major measure for the SAR government to uphold and improve administrative leadership and improve governance efficiency; it is a planning need to proactively connect with the national development strategy and better integrate into and serve the overall national development situation; it is also an action plan to build social consensus, unite forces from all walks of life, promote Hong Kong’s governance and prosperity, and achieve high-quality development.

He continued that Hong Kong's first five-year plan will make Hong Kong's development direction clearer, resource allocation more effective, and social expectations more stable; it will make Hong Kong a more attractive, dynamic and opportunity-filled international city in the world.

Cui Chaoyang, general manager of Bauhinia Cultural Group, said that the Bauhinia Cultural Forum is rooted in Hong Kong and based on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and is committed to building an open platform for the exchange of ideas, civilized dialogue, and consensus building. It is hoped that the guests attending the meeting will exchange ideas, evaluate the opportunities and potential of Hong Kong's development, and explore the implementation path of Hong Kong's first five-year plan.

In response to some misunderstandings linking Hong Kong's first five-year plan to the planned economy, Deng Zhonghua, president of the National Association for Hong Kong and Macao Studies, pointed out that the formulation of medium- and long-term development plans is not exclusive to a certain economic system. Hong Kong’s first five-year plan is a macro, strategic, and guiding development program that aims to create a more stable and predictable operating environment for market entities.

In the keynote speech session, Martin Jacques, a former senior researcher at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, believed that the first five-year plan is an important starting point for Hong Kong to realize many development visions. Facing the future, Hong Kong should coordinate with the national development plan, actively integrate into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and strengthen integration and innovation in key areas such as high-tech and artificial intelligence.

Talking about the construction of the Northern Metropolitan Area (referred to as "Northern Capital"), Martin Jacques said that Northern Metropolis will become a major variable in changing the development pattern of Hong Kong. This area has the opportunity to develop into an important hub for technological innovation, digital economy, artificial intelligence, and international trade, leading global development in many fields. (over)