Foreign business groups seek clearer timetable for Hong Kong development plan

Representatives of foreign business chambers have welcomed the policy direction in Hong Kong’s five-year plan while urging clearer deadlines for the Northern Metropolis project, the South China Morning Post reported. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu briefed consuls general and heads of foreign chambers of commerce on Monday. During the meeting, he stressed that the five-year plan was not a planned economy.

The business representatives said the plan provided clear policy priorities that companies could use for strategic planning. They nevertheless called for more concrete timelines and visible progress on the Northern Metropolis development. The project was identified as important for attracting investment, although the supplied material does not specify which stages require faster progress or what deadlines the chambers requested.

The report does not detail the five-year plan’s individual policies, give the names of the participating chambers or include a response from the Hong Kong government to the calls for clearer implementation targets. The meeting therefore highlighted both support for the plan’s broad direction and concern among foreign business groups about the need for more visible delivery of the Northern Metropolis project. Further comments from the participants were not included.