
Universities and academics can contribute the evidence needed to turn these commitments into better decisions
Hong Kong's first five-year plan presents an opportunity for universities and social scientists to provide empirical evidence and shape governance, technology, and regional development decisions.
AI-generated summary
Hong Kong's first five-year plan outlines ambitions for technology, regional development, and public governance.
Michael (Jinghan) Zeng is head of and a professor in the Department of Public and International Affairs at City University of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong’s first five-year plan gives its universities an opportunity to show what their research can do for the city. Its ambitions for technology, regional development and international cooperation depend on decisions about institutions and people’s lives. Social scientists should help shape those decisions from the outset.
The blueprint explicitly addresses public governance, including civil service performance, departmental coordination and digital administration. It also provides for monitoring and assessment. Universities can contribute the evidence needed to turn these commitments into better decisions.
Artificial intelligence offers an immediate opportunity. The policy address has announced a HK$300 million (US$38.24 million) AI for Welfare Lab and proposes requirements for bidders on public-facing government AI projects to submit safety and ethics declarations.

External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar co-chaired the inaugural Partners for Multilateralism Summit in New York on Monday, highlighting global order stress.

On the 23rd, KMT Chairman Zheng Liwen led cadres to Nantou to hold a regular meeting in action, criticizing the ruling party's use of judicial means to suppress the KMT, calling on the entire party to unite to win the local elections at the end of the year and the 2028 presidential election, and fully supporting Nantou County Magistrate Xu Shuhua's re-election.

On September 23, the State Council Information Office held a press conference. Hu Haifeng, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, my country has made great progress in the welfare of children in need. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, we will continue to make efforts in four aspects: strengthening systems, strengthening services, strong supply, and strong teams.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit the United States to meet with President Trump. The outside world is highly concerned about whether the United States will once again demand the release of Jimmy Lai, the founder of Hong Kong's "Next Media" who has been imprisoned for 20 years. Scholars analyze that Trump is expected to mention the case, but the chances of Beijing releasing him are slim.

On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission publicly reported six typical cases of violations of the spirit of the eight central regulations, involving officials such as Pan Liang, Huang Guilin, Sun Xinchun, Zhang Weixing, Yu Junfeng, and Li Gen who violated disciplines and laws such as illegal eating and drinking, accepting gifts and money, and engaging in performance projects.

Xi and Peng are expected to arrive at Joint Base Andrews for a three-day visit, featuring an official reception at the White House, talks, museum tours, and a state dinner.