Rigid goals not set in Hong Kong’s 5-year plan to allay fears of planned economy: Tse

Hong Kong refrained from setting overly rigid economic indicators in its first five-year plan to avoid fuelling concerns that it was moving towards a planned economy, according to the city’s constitutional affairs minister.

The current priority should be hitting targets instead of dwelling on accountability mechanisms for potential shortcomings, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Janice Tse Siu-wa said.

Tse also emphasised the government’s efforts to explore administrative measures to protect same-sex couples’ rights after lawmakers vetoed a bill last year meant to recognise their partnership in line with a court ruling, although she offered no timeline.

Last month, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu unveiled Hong Kong’s inaugural five-year plan, outlining initiatives to speed up the Northern Metropolis megaproject and cement the city’s strengths in finance, aviation, maritime services, trade and technology to align with the nation’s development strategy.