Hong Kong minister defends flexible targets in first five-year plan
Hong Kong’s constitutional affairs minister Janice Tse said the city avoided overly rigid economic indicators in its first five-year plan to preserve its free-market image. The blueprint contains 22 major targets, only five of them binding, and will be monitored through ongoing reviews and progress reports.
Hong Kong’s first five-year plan deliberately avoids overly rigid economic indicators to prevent concerns that the city is moving towards a planned economy, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Janice Tse Siu-wa has said. Tse said the immediate priority was to implement the blueprint rather than focus on accountability arrangements for targets that might not be met. The plan, unveiled by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, includes measures covering economic development, innovation, livelihoods and environmental protection.
The document sets 22 major targets, but only five are binding. The remaining goals are anticipatory, including annual gross domestic product growth within a reasonable range and steady growth in imports and exports. Tse, who coordinated the plan’s preparation, said precise economic forecasts were difficult because Hong Kong’s performance could be affected by global trade, tourism shocks and other unforeseen events.
She said rigid targets might invite criticism that Hong Kong was operating a planned economy, while the absence of targets could suggest a lack of commitment. The implementation framework includes dynamic monitoring, a midterm assessment and final reporting. Tse said officials would continuously review progress, policy priorities and whether resources were sufficient, rather than rely only on annual assessments.
She said public and professional groups, lawmakers and central-government oversight already provided accountability, despite the administration’s rejection of formal third-party reviews by think tanks and research institutes. Tse said the plan would not be revised, but policy execution could remain responsive to market conditions. She also said her bureau was exploring administrative measures to protect same-sex couples’ rights after lawmakers rejected a partnership bill last year.
She provided no timetable and said her bureau was also preparing for three major elections by the end of next year.
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