Mr. John Lee, the Chief Executive, Delivers New Year Message

Following is the video of the New Year message delivered by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee.

In the New Year message, Mr John Lee stated that 2025 was a challenging year, revealing citizens' determination to tide over difficulties together. The Hong Kong people have not only experienced the strong impetus of economic recovery, but also suffered from the sorrowful grief brought by the tragic Tai Po fire. He said that the SAR government would unite in spirit and action with the citizens, integrating "reform and impetus" into "economic development" and "improvement of people's livelihood", to progressively achieve hard-won fruits.

Photo source: FB of Mr John Lee

Mr John Lee traced back to the positive results achieved by Hong Kong in different aspects in 2025. In terms of economy, the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone (Hetao Co-operation Zone) was successfully opened, unveiling the stage for Hong Kong to develop into an "international innovation and technology centre". The local stock market has boomed throughout the year, while the local tourism industry continued to recover, with the successive opening of Kai Tak Sports Park and the East Kowloon Cultural Centre. Besides, the implementation of the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles Scheme has also brought high-end consumers and tourists to Hong Kong.

Photo source: FB of Mr John Lee

In the field of people's livelihood, approximately 9,500 light public housing units have been completed as scheduled throughout the year. The composite waiting time for subsidised rental housing was shortened by one year compared to the highest level before the current-term Government took office, reaching the lowest level of 5.1 years. Five new "Community Living Rooms" (CLR) have been constructed, bringing the total number of CLRs to nine, all of which have provided warmth and a sense of integration into the community to low-income families. The first Chinese medicine hospital in Hong Kong has been put into service. The regulations governing ride-hailing services have been passed, providing citizens with new options for travel.

Tracing back to the past year, Mr John Lee mentioned that there were many unforgettable scenes. For the first time, Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao jointly hosted the 15th National Games, in which the athletes from Hong Kong created a historic achievement of 19 medals. The  Legislative Council General Election has been successfully held, electing new members of the Legislative Council to work together with the government to promote social reforms, assist the affected families in the Tai Po fire to return to normal life pace, and improve the building safety system and related supervision.

Photo source: FB of Mr John Lee

Looking forward to 2026, Mr John Lee emphasized that, in addition to continuing to support the victims of the Tai Po fire and offering long-term housing suggestions to them, the government will focus on two major goals in the coming year. The first is to enhance people's well-being. The government will accelerate the construction of public housing, implement the registration system of Basic Housing Units, and orderly eliminate inferior subdivided units in residential buildings. Moreover, medical and educational resources will be optimized, expanding the coverage of the Elderly Health Care Voucher and providing more employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to young people.

Photo source: FB of Mr John Lee

The second is strengthening innovation-driven development. The government will proactively align with the national 15th Five-Year Plan, accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis, deepen the "one zone, two parks" interaction in Hetao Co-operation Zone, speed up the development and application in core fields such as science and technology as well as low-altitude economy, etc., empower the development of various industries with AI, and hold high-quality international conferences such as APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting, etc. to enhance Hong Kong's international influence.

Mr John Lee stated that the resilience and vitality of Hong Kong have been witnessed over the past year. In the coming year, the government will continue to work hard and implement policies to enable every citizen to share the fruits of social development. Although there will be challenges ahead, there will also be more opportunities for us to grasp. As long as Hong Kong people unite as one, we will surely overcome challenges and make our city more prosperous and brilliant.

Photo source: FB of Mr John Lee

For more details, please refer to the FB post of Mr John Lee: https://www.facebook.com/reel/2044954473018470/?s=single_unit

The Chief Executive, Mr. John Lee, joined by Principal Officials, attended a District Forum for Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan (Hong Kong's Five-Year Plan) and the 2026 Policy Address to listen to views and suggestions from members of local communities on Hong Kong's Five-Year Plan and the Chief Executive's fifth Policy Address in Tuen Mun today (August 2).

Photo by Bastille Post

Over 130 participants from various sectors attended the forum, some of whom were satisfied with the forum's arrangements and hoped the government would strengthen the promotion of Hong Kong's innovation and technology enterprises.

Mr. Siu, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Siu, who attended the forum, said many Hong Kong innovation and technology companies hold strong international advantages, including independent certifications and patents, but are under-promoted locally. "Many Hong Kong people don't know about them, but these companies are well-known abroad," he said. He found the forum's arrangements smooth, particularly the provision of umbrellas during the yellow rain warning, and praised the time management.

Mr. Wong, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Wong, another participant, said he raised four questions at the forum and received thorough responses from the authorities. These included queries about border crossing arrangements and hopes for stronger government services to attract key enterprises to Hong Kong. On the Western Rail Link project, he urged the government to study a route towards the airport and West Kowloon, leveraging the hub to accelerate the 1.5-hour living and working circle.

Regarding suggestions for a second high-speed rail station in Hong Kong, Mr. Wong pointed out that Guangdong Province has already planned a new high-speed rail line from Baiyun Airport to Shenzhen Airport, expressing hope for future connection to Hong Kong Airport to bring synergistic benefits.

Mr. Wong, Photo by Bastille Post

He also expressed confidence that Hong Kong is an excellent platform, and that more companies will come to Hong Kong to expand overseas in the future.