People line up to collect the 2023 Policy Address booklets and related publications outside the Wan Chai Home Affairs Enquiry Centre on Oct 25, 2023. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)
The newly-released Policy Address has been hailed by Hong Kong leaders as visionary and people-oriented for addressing residents’ needs and injecting new impetus into the city’s development.
In separate statements, local business chambers — including the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce — voiced their support for the Policy Address.
They said the proposed measures will support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises and expand opportunities in local and overseas markets.
They also welcomed the establishment of applied sciences universities and looked forward to a greater influx of talent to the industry.
Regarding the government’s high-profile move to ease property curbs, Ricky Wong Kwong-yiu, chairman and managing director of property group Wheelock, said the action will help stabilize the real estate sector’s long-term development.
Wong said he expected the reduced stamp duty will stimulate real estate investment and boost the property market.
Nicholas Chan Hiu-fung, a lawyer and director of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre, said the blueprint is “visionary and profound”, as it points the way forward for the city and injects new impetus.
Chan applauded the establishment of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy, saying he believes that the academy will reinforce the city’s advantages under “one country, two systems” and enhance the city’s role as a regional center for international legal and dispute resolution services.
He also expressed his support for the policies that will promote data economy and integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, the city’s largest union, said the Policy Address has taken in opinions from various sectors and will boost the residents’ happiness.
The Society for Community Organization, a local nongovernmental group, welcomed the extension of Health Care Vouchers in other cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and called for the SAR government to gradually increase the number of service providers, such as tertiary hospitals and accredited medical institutions.
The Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers underlined the government’s efforts in strengthening patriotic education, positioning Hong Kong as an international education hub, and offering upward mobility for graduates.
Cally Kwong Mei-wan, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People’s Congress, gave her thumbs-up for the SAR government’s determination to promote patriotic education, including establishing a working group on patriotic education to coordinate the related work of government departments and nongovernmental organizations.
Kwong said she hoped that the government departments can swiftly implement these measures, ensuring that the public truly benefits from them.
