(Hong Kong, 24 March 2026) — HKSTP today hosted the “Aligning with the 15th Five-Year Plan: 2026 ‘Two Sessions’ on Technology and Innovation Spirit – Hong Kong Seminar” at Hong Kong Science Park. The event brought together the strengths of Hong Kong’s innovation and technology (I&T) sector, closely aligned with national strategic priorities, and attracted more than 200 distinguished participants attending in person. The event convened a number of prominent guests, including members of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), HKSAR Deputies to the National People’s Congress (NPC), Member of the Legislative Council, the presidents of two universities, and industry leaders. Discussions focused on the new landscape at the outset of the 15th Five‑Year Plan, with in‑depth exchanges on strategies and new opportunities for the high‑quality development of Hong Kong’s I&T sector.
The Fourth Session of the 14th NPC and the Fourth Session of the 14th CPPCC successfully concluded in March this year. As this year marks the opening year of the nation’s 15th Five‑Year Plan, the briefing session began with welcome remarks by Dr Sunny Chai, Chairman of HKSTP, and featured a keynote address by Mr Irons Sze, Standing Committee member of the National Committee of the CPPCC and Executive Director of Hang Tung Resources Holding Limited.
During the Leadership Sharing session, speakers including Mr Irons Sze; HKSAR Deputy to the NPC, including Professor Nancy Ip, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and President of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology as well as Mr Hendrick Sin, President of the Internet Professional Association; National Committee of the CPPCC: Dr Johnny Ng, Member of Legislative Council and Professor Alexander Wai, President of Hong Kong Baptist University, offered in‑depth interpretations of the spirit of the Two Sessions from their respective professional perspectives, and shared insightful views on how Hong Kong’s I&T sector can better integrate into and serve the broader national development agenda.
In his welcome remarks, Dr Sunny Chai, Chairman of HKSTP, said, “This year’s Two Sessions placed significant emphasis on technological innovation, setting a clear guiding tone for Hong Kong to better integrate into and serve the nation’s overall development. Under the country’s top-level design and strategic planning, Hong Kong’s role is being elevated from a beneficiary backed by the motherland to a contributor driving national development. Looking ahead, we should place self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology in a more prominent position, seize major opportunities brought by the macro-trend toward digitalisation, networking and intelligent transformation, deepen and expand ‘AI+’, and translate upstream research and development strengths into tangible industrial momentum, thereby empowering all-round economic and social development. As Hong Kong’s flagship for I&T, HKSTP will continue to uphold the principle of leveraging Hong Kong’s strengths to serve the country’s needs, while fostering an open and vibrant I&T ecosystem to contribute to the nation’s high-quality development.”
In his keynote address, Mr Irons Sze noted that the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan places technological innovation at the core of its strategic priorities, with robust fiscal resources providing solid backing for Hong Kong to build itself into an international I&T hub. He highlighted that the National Development Planning Law, for the first time, establishes Hong Kong’s legal status in alignment with national planning. The HKSAR Government is now moving at full speed to formulate Hong Kong’s first five-year plan to proactively align with national strategies. Mr Sze added that Hong Kong should leverage its strengths in basic research and global advantages, focus on emerging industries such as AI, and serve the nation’s high-level goals of achieving self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology.
During the Leadership Sharing session, speakers put forward practical recommendations closely aligned with national strategies and Hong Kong's development realities. Professor Nancy Ip stated that the 15th Five-Year Plan Outline presents a comprehensive blueprint for the nation’s high-quality development, while elevating Hong Kong’s positioning from integration into national development to serving the nation’s overall development agenda at a new level. She emphasised that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Hong Kong should proactively align and focus with precision, fully leveraging its unique advantages including its high degree of internationalisation and world-class educational and research resources, with efforts concentrating on three key areas: first, bringing together and cultivating interdisciplinary talent with a global vision; second, driving deep integration between technological innovation and industrial innovation; and third, establishing high-level platforms for international exchange and collaboration. Professor Ip stressed that this represents not only Hong Kong’s duty-bound mission to firmly support national high-quality development and the building of a strong country, but also an opportunity for Hong Kong itself to achieve leapfrog development and open a brilliant new chapter.
Dr Johnny Ng stressed that the 15th Five-Year Plan marks the first time the Northern Metropolis has been included in the dedicated section on Hong Kong and Macao, explicitly supporting Hong Kong's development as an international I&T centre while focusing specifically on new quality productive forces and the digital economy. He noted that the industry must seize national strategic opportunities, demonstrating both the keen insight of a "question setter" and the proactive ownership of an "answerer" to achieve breakthroughs in key technologies and transform research outcomes into new-quality productive forces.
Professor Alexander Wai noted this briefing is anchored in the 15th Five-Year Plan and the Two Sessions' technology innovation spirit, focusing on shaping high-quality development through talent and positioning Hong Kong as an international I&T hub. He emphasised building a three-tier talent pipeline, synergising the four chains (education, innovation, industry, capital), leveraging the Greater Bay Area, and concentrating Hong Kong's competitive strengths to create new momentum to meet national needs.
Mr Hendrick Sin stated that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the overarching theme will be promoting high-quality development, and the development focus is shifting from the previous expansion in aggregate quantity, framed in terms of "whether there is enough" and "whether it is fast", to quality improvement, framed in terms of "whether it is good" and "whether it is strong". He further noted that the 2026 Government Work Report introduced, for the first time, the goal of building a new model of the intelligent economy. This means that AI is not only an enabling tool, but will also become new infrastructure and a key factor of production in the future.
In his closing remarks, Dr Sunny Chai stated: “Positioned at this pivotal juncture in the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong will soon establish its first Hong Kong Five-Year Plan, aligned with the national 15th Five-Year Plan, a development of profound significance and keen anticipation. At present, the national strategy provides steadfast support, the HKSAR Government is taking bold and effective action, and Hong Kong’s I&T ecosystem is thriving. Our confidence in Hong Kong’s innovation-driven future is unequivocal and resolute. By fully leveraging the unique advantages of ‘one country, two systems’ and proactively integrating with national planning, Hong Kong will assuredly achieve multifaceted prosperity within the nation’s overarching development framework, continually injecting strong momentum into the nation’s high-quality growth.”
