The Hong Kong Policy Address focuses on five major development opportunities: talent development, industry development, corporate investment, institutional safeguards, and international cooperation.

On September 16, John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, delivered his fifth Policy Address of his term, titled "Charting a Long-Term Course for the Overall Interest, Opening a New Chapter Through Reform, Promoting Development and Creating Opportunities, Benefiting People's Livelihood and Building the Future." With the "First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030)" as its blueprint, the address proactively aligns with the national 15th Five-Year Plan and sets out a series of measures to create development opportunities and improve people's well-being. John Lee Ka-chiu said that this year marks the opening year of the national 15th Five-Year Plan, and the SAR government has formulated Hong Kong's first five-year plan to ensure that Hong Kong better grasps development opportunities while better integrating into and serving the overall national development. In the face of profound changes unseen in a century, the nation's strong strength, super-large market, and the powerful momentum brought by high-quality development are Hong Kong's greatest opportunities. The Policy Address focuses on five major development opportunities: talent development, industry development, corporate investment, institutional safeguards, and international cooperation. To attract high-quality talent, the government will accelerate the construction of a university town in the Northern Metropolis, upgrade the "University Town Planning and Construction Office" to the "University Town Construction and Development Committee," add about 30% more research postgraduate places and 200 government scholarship places, and establish five new international talent training academies. On industry development, the address proposes accelerating the establishment of an international gold trading market, studying tax concessions for qualifying activities in the gold and commodities trading ecosystem, announcing details of a new renminbi-denominated and physically settled gold futures contract, and studying a moderate increase in gold holdings by the Exchange Fund. In addition, the government will inject funding into the "Artificial Intelligence Subsidy Scheme" to support the intelligent computing industry, accelerate medical innovation and industrial chain development, and build a new landscape for the low-altitude and emerging economies. As the Northern Metropolis enters its harvest period, with all nine new development areas set in motion, the government is developing six distinctive industry parks at full speed and reserving land for an advanced construction industry park. To attract enterprises, tax concessions will be assessed based on the value brought by enterprises, offering a concessionary tax rate of 5% or half the standard rate to individual enterprises in key industries such as finance, advanced manufacturing, innovation and technology research and development, headquarters activities, and logistics and supply chain management. In addition, Hong Kong will be built into a global capital of mediation and a preferred international arbitration venue, and support will be given to the work of the International Organization for Mediation headquartered in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government will facilitate the establishment of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law, support the judiciary in advancing the establishment of an international commercial court, and set up an "Intellectual Property Trading Development Strategy Committee" to formulate strategies and support measures to promote intellectual property trading. On international cooperation, two United Nations organizations will respectively establish a "Global Centre of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing" and an "Asia-Pacific Office of the Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities" in Hong Kong. The government will also launch a new "Home and Youth Affairs Bureau-United Nations Youth Leadership Internship Programme," and the newly completed West Kowloon Performing Arts Centre will open next year. The Policy Address rolls out multiple measures across 25 areas, including youth employment, education, encouraging childbirth, housing, healthcare, community services, elderly care, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, and labour protection. To help youth employment, the government will join with the business sector to launch a two-year "30,000 Youth Jobs and Internship Scheme" and establish an "International Youth Talent Exchange Base." On education, the government will launch a free large-scale digital education learning resource platform incorporating AI large language models, promote the digitalization of kindergarten education administration, and advance the quality and quantity of student hostels. To promote a childbirth-friendly environment, the Hong Kong government has introduced 11 "combination punch" measures, including extending the HK$20,000 newborn baby bonus scheme for three years, reducing stamp duty for eligible families purchasing residential properties, building more subsidized standalone child care centres, and for the first time introducing a policy to encourage families to have more than one child, raising the bonus for the second and subsequent newborns to HK$30,000. On housing, public housing completions in the next five years will increase by about 73% compared with the corresponding five-year completion figure four years ago, and all 30,000 "Light Public Housing" units will be completed and meet the target ahead of schedule by March next year. On healthcare, the government will strengthen primary healthcare services and optimize hospital services, strengthen Chinese medicine services, and implement 11 measures to promote mental health. On community services, the government will add two community living rooms, launch a community pharmacy scheme, and introduce a community drug formulary. To care for the needs of the elderly, the government will increase "Community Care Service Vouchers for the Elderly" and "Residential Care Service Vouchers for the Elderly," add subsidized elderly day care facilities, neighbourhood elderly centres, and residential care homes for the elderly, and launch a mobile version of the JoyYou Card. On supporting the local economy, the government will introduce 10 measures to support small and medium-sized enterprises, including funding SMEs to explore more emerging markets, extending 20 free credit assessment services for one year, providing more AI application support and subsidies, supporting e-commerce and brand development, and accelerating trade financing. The government will also strengthen labour protection, including enacting new legislation to protect delivery workers and conducting cross-departmental crackdowns on illegal labour. In his conclusion, John Lee Ka-chiu said that Hong Kong today stands at a critical juncture of transitioning from stability to prosperity, and the government remains committed to charting a long-term course for the overall interest and promoting development through reform. With the nation's strong backing and the wisdom and efforts of Hong Kong people, the fruits of development will surely benefit every family more effectively, making Hong Kong better and more prosperous.