12-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Economy main focus at Hong Kong leader's meetings with advisers ahead of policy address
Hong Kong's leader held meetings with his advisers, including a mainland Chinese economist and two tech experts from a Hangzhou start-up known as 'Six Little Dragons', ahead of his annual policy blueprint to gauge views on how to maintain the city's status amid growing geopolitical tensions.
The John Lee Ka-chiu-led lunch meetings took place between Wednesday and Friday, marking the first official gathering of the Chief Executive's Council of Advisers, following the appointments of Han Bicheng, CEO of BrainCo, which specialises in brain-machine interfaces, Wang Xingxing, founder and CEO of humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics, and Zhu Min, ex-deputy director of the International Monetary Fund.
The government said on Saturday that the council conducted in-depth discussions under three major themes – economy, technology, and regional and global ties – for Lee's fourth policy address scheduled for September and the city's overall development.
Regarding the economic advancement and sustainability, the council exchanged views on how to consolidate Hong Kong's position as an international financial, shipping and trade centre amid geopolitical changes and economic restructuring.
They also discussed ways to speed up the development of the Northern Metropolis, and proactively attract capital and talent to drive innovation and technology growth in Hong Kong.
The Northern Metropolis blueprint aims to turn 30,000 hectares (74,132 acres) of land into a new engine for economic growth with a population of about 2.5 million and around 650,000 jobs.
The regional and global collaboration discussion focused on leveraging the national development to strengthen ties with countries along the Belt and Road, while also exploring emerging markets, such as the Middle East, Asean, South America, and Central Asia, for new business opportunities.
