HONG KONG: The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC) has laid out a concrete roadmap to turn the city’s strategic ambitions into action, submitting comprehensive recommendations for Hong Kong’s inaugural five-year plan and the 2026 Policy Address.
Since May, the chamber — representing the city’s “Voice of Business” — has conducted extensive consultations with leaders from finance, trade, innovation and technology, real estate, shipping, tourism, retail, and small and medium enterprises. The resulting proposals were unveiled this week.
“With 2026 marking the start of the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong’s new roadmap signals a highly encouraging shift from ‘alignment’ to ‘proactive planning.’ The blueprint provides the business community with a clearer, more visionary path forward,” said HKGCC Chairman Jacob Kam.
The chamber’s strategy spans six thematic areas. For the Northern Metropolis, it advocates a sustainable “build-ahead” infrastructure strategy supported by advanced computing and data centres, clear key performance indicators, innovative land disposal and private financing, and a strengthened coordination office. It also calls for leveraging the [Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone] and the Northern Metropolis University Town to drive innovation and talent development.
In economy, finance, and trade, the chamber calls for next-generation financial infrastructure, an expanded international renminbi ecosystem, a dedicated Port Authority, and parallel growth of digital assets and wealth management — positioning the Northern Metropolis and Victoria Harbour as complementary engines of economic development.
Its technology recommendations include expanding cross-boundary data sandboxes and supporting new quality productive forces such as the low-altitude economy, 6G, and green technology, alongside greater AI support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
To address demographic shifts, the chamber proposes strengthening the “Study in Hong Kong” brand and promoting digital health and gerontechnology to tackle population ageing and help harness the silver economy.
On regional cooperation, the chamber highlights Hong Kong’s role as a super-connector for capital from Europe, ASEAN, and the Middle East into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, supports engagement with the Global South, and backs accession to RCEP.
Culture, tourism, and green living measures include green shipping corridors and Digital Product Passports, a “yacht economy blueprint” for marina development, and high-value outlying island resorts targeting high-net-worth visitors from emerging markets.
Complementing the five-year plan, the chamber proposed a three-tier framework for the 2026 Policy Address: short-term “quick wins” (Northern Metropolis blueprint, offshore renminbi products, SME AI adoption, Brand Hong Kong platform); medium-term structural foundations (innovative financing for infrastructure, digital asset and Real-World Asset tokenization, broadened CEPA coverage); and long-term resilience (high-performance computing, port modernization, green maritime services, agri-tech, and high-value marine tourism). - China Daily/ANN
