Overview

• Chief Executive John Lee said he will personally chair a new committee to speed up the Northern Metropolis, targeting homes for 2.5 million people and 650,000 jobs with dedicated legislation and faster approvals.
• The government will tender a 10-hectare site this year for a data facility cluster and launch an AI research and development institute next year, with plans to deploy AI to improve public-sector efficiency.
• Hong Kong will raise international student enrollment caps at publicly funded universities from the next academic year and reserve sites for new hostels, while the University Grants Committee allocates HK$40 million to bolster global recruitment.
• Following a procurement scandal, Lee proposed a two-tier investigation framework for senior civil servants with possible penalties ranging from warnings to dismissal to strengthen accountability.
• Authorities will form a task group to attract more mainland Chinese companies to use Hong Kong for overseas expansion and develop gold storage facilities to support a regional reserve hub, while maintaining a 2025 growth forecast of 2% to 3% after a 3.1% Q2 GDP reading.