Blueprint offers certainty, clarity: business groups

Local business representatives welcomed Hong Kong's inaugural five-year plan, saying the initiatives offer strategic guidance and add certainty amid a volatile global landscape. Announcing the plan on Wednesday, Chief Executive John Lee vowed to strengthen the city's status as a global offshore renminbi hub, with concerted efforts to establish a commodity trading ecosystem. Business sector lawmaker Jonathan Lamport said the blueprint aligns closely with the national 15th five-year plan and offers investors and companies an indication of which industries they can explore. "The centres are actually highly interconnected. For example, [if] you're building a commodity and gold trading ecosystem, [it] directly boosts the physical warehouses in the Northern Metropolis," he said. "That also means that we're now promoting the commodities...and gold vaults in Hong Kong. "And this is good for... how we always say, 'how to [go] from a super connector, to...a golden partner'. So people can come here, set up a company to do this kind of business." Jacob Kam, chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, described the five-year blueprint is "forward-looking". "From accelerating the Northern Metropolis, driving tech innovation, and bolstering our financial core, to deepening Greater Bay Area integration...this will help drive robust economic growth and create broader opportunities for the...