Ambition into Action: Next Steps in Hong Kong’s Future
Jacob Kam, Chairman of HKGCC
The year 2026 marks the commencement of the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan, prompting Hong Kong to formulate its five-year roadmap. This formal medium-to-long-term development blueprint marks a strategic shift for the HKSAR Government from a past strategy of “alignment” to a definitive “proactive planning” mode. This transformation is set to provide the business community with clearer, more deafined and visionary path forward for business. A development we find highly encouraging.
As the city’s “Voice of Business,” the Chamber initiated a comprehensive consultation exercise in May this year, drawing on insights from leaders from across Hong Kong’s key industries – including finance, trade, innovation and technology, real estate, shipping, tourism, retail, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In recent months, we have convened a series of focus group meetings to pool collective wisdom. This closely aligns with the Government's core policy directions, while the discussions focused on the six key areas that are critical to Hong Kong’s future growth.
For the Northern Metropolis, we advocate clear key performance indicators, introducing innovative land disposal models, and an infrastructure-led strategy supported by forward-looking investment in advanced computing power and data centres. With regards to the economy, finance, and trade, the business sector has called for greater emphasis on next-generation financial infrastructure, a broader cross-border Renminbi product and derivatives ecosystem, and a dedicated Port Authority, and to build out a more comprehensive Belt and Road trade platform.
In innovation, technology and industrial development, the Chamber recommends expanding cross-border data sandboxes and strengthening policy support for new quality productive forces, including the low-altitude economy, 6G, and green technology. At the same time, we believe greater support should be given to SMEs as they seek to transform through artificial intelligence. On livelihood and social development, we advocate strengthening the “Study in Hong Kong” brand to attract overseas talent, while deploying artificial intelligence and gerontechnology at scale to address issues posed by labour shortages and an ageing population.
Beyond Hong Kong, regional cooperation and “go-global” platforms also feature prominently in our recommendations. We back Hong Kong’s role as a springboard for investment from Europe, ASEAN, and the Middle East into the Greater Bay Area, as well as bolstering engagement with the Global South markets, while actively striving to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Finally, in culture, sports, tourism, and green living, the Chamber is exploring the promotion of green shipping corridors and ‘Digital Product Passports,’ and advocates the development of a ‘yacht economy blueprint’ to actively target high-net-worth individuals and tourists from emerging markets like the Middle East and ASEAN, as well as to cultivate high value-added tourism markets such as outlying island resorts.
We firmly believe that through this roadmap, combined with the collective wisdom of the business community, we will undoubtedly inject fresh and innovative momentum to Hong Kong’s longstanding strengths.
Jacob Kam [email protected]
Send your view to [email protected]
