Hong Kong’s government intentionally avoided setting overly rigid economic targets in its inaugural five-year plan, officials said, aiming to dispel concerns that the city might be shifting toward a planned economy. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Janice Tse Siu-wa emphasized that flexibility was essential to preserve Hong Kong’s status as a free-market economy while maintaining a commitment to long-term development goals.

Unveiled last month by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, the first five-year plan outlines 22 major targets across economic growth, innovation, livelihood improvements, and environmental protection. Among these, only five are binding, while the remainder are anticipatory goals, including broad objectives such as maintaining annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth within a reasonable range and ensuring steady growth in imports and exports.

Tse, who coordinated the plan’s drafting, acknowledged the inherent challenge of setting quantified indicators in a dynamic economic environment. She noted that if targets were too inflexible, critics might accuse Hong Kong of emulating a planned economy. Conversely, the absence of clear goals could prompt accusations of lacking commitment. She also pointed to external factors such as global trade fluctuations and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism as examples of uncertainties that complicate precise economic forecasting.

While reaffirming the government’s determination to meet the plan’s targets, Tse refrained from specifying accountability mechanisms for potential failures. Instead, she stressed that the focus should be on identifying shortfalls, addressing gaps, and improving performance over time. “The government hopes to achieve any quantified indicator. If risks arise or we identify a gap during assessment, we should catch up and do better,” she said, adding that immediate concerns about missed targets should not overshadow the long-term planning process.

The plan also includes an implementation framework featuring continuous monitoring, midterm reviews, and final assessments to ensure policies and resources remain aligned with priorities. This approach aims to provide a flexible, ongoing evaluation rather than relying solely on annual reporting.

In addition to economic strategies, Tse highlighted ongoing government efforts to explore administrative measures to protect the rights of same-sex couples. This follows the failure of a legislative bill last year intended to formalize partnership recognition in accordance with a court ruling. However, she did not provide a timeline for further action on this front.