Pursuing Excellence in Governance
“ Strong government is a prerequisite for economic development. A harmonious society, itself founded on strong government and economic development, will create a favourable environment to achieve these goals. These three elements are interwoven, and of equal importance.”

Vision of Strong Governance

• The Chief Secretary for Administration and Financial Secretary will co-ordinate policy, with all Secretaries of Bureaux reporting to them
• Chief Executive’s Office to be reorganised to enhance effectiveness
• Strengthen co-operation between the Administration and the Legislative Council

Strengthen the Relationship with the Central Authorities and the Mainland

• Principal Officials and Permanent Secretaries to visit the Mainland more frequently to enhance communication
• LegCo Members, District Councillors and the public urged to have more contacts with the Mainland
• Mainland Affairs Liaison Office to be established in the Constitutional Affairs Bureau to co-ordinate co-operation with the Mainland
• New Hong Kong offices planned for Shanghai and Chengdu

Expand the Executive Council and the Commission on Strategic Development

• Increase Non-official members of the Executive Council to help formulate, explain and promote policy
• Expand membership of the Commission on Strategic Development to bring in more talent and to help forge a community consensus on important issues
• Rejuvenate membership of advisory boards and statutory bodies

Enhance Work in Districts

• Strengthen the role of District Officers to foster community spirit and to better resolve local problems
• Allow District Councils to manage some district facilities such as swimming pools, leisure grounds, sports venues and libraries

Constitutional Development

• Publish a package of proposals on how to enhance the representativeness of the Chief Executive election in 2007 and LegCo election in 2008
• Consider creating a small political cadre within the Administration to support the work of the Chief Executive and Principal Officials

Fostering Harmony in the Community
“Fostering harmony in the community... requires the concerted efforts of the Government and all sectors of the community.”

Uphold Social Justice

• Introduce legislation to enable the Chief Executive to be subject to anti-corruption regulation
• Continue promoting the rights of children, fostering racial harmony and protecting the rights of sexual minorities
• Set up job centres in Yuen Long and North District
  

Encourage Fair Competition

• Consider the need to introduce a comprehensive and cross-sector law on fair competition

Helping the Needy
“Our policy thinking is to help people to help themselves, with a focus on increasing employment and reducing inter-generational poverty.”

• Provide extra support to children and youth of poor families or with special needs
• Strengthen community support services to people with disabilities and their families, and introduce a scheme for doctors to visit the disabled who live in rehabilitation facilities

Cherish Family Values

• No tolerance for domestic violence. Help and protect victims of domestic violence, pursue offenders, and support families with such problems
  
• Strengthen district welfare planning and co-ordination and allocate resources according to specific needs

Protect Labour Rights

• Labour Advisory Board to study the question of a minimum wage and standard working hours
• Promote payment of average market level wages for non-skilled workers in subvented organisations and schools

Environment and Health

“We are determined to deal with environmental pollution. We have the strategy, measures and action plans.”

• All new major government policies subject to environmental protection scrutiny

Air

• Newly registered vehicles required to meet Euro IV emission standards in stages from January 2006
• Reduce power consumption in all Government offices by 1.5% annually from January 2006
• Ultra-low sulphur diesel to be used in all government projects from 2006
• Require power companies to install effective emissions reduction facilities as a precondition for future licensing

Food Safety

• Establish a Food Safety, Inspection and Quarantine Department

Helping the Economy Power Ahead
“Our strategy is to ‘leverage the Mainland and engage ourselves globally’; to strengthen our advantages; to encourage entrepreneurship and fair competition under the principle of ‘Big Market, Small Government’; and to consolidate our position as Asia’s world city and our role as a key international financial, trading, transportation and information hub of China.”

Externally Oriented Economy

• Open a new economic and trade office to serve eastern Europe and enhance Hong Kong’s international profile and competitiveness

International Financial Centre

• Central Authorities to extend scope of RMB business in Hong Kong
• Upgrade quality of financial markets by enhancing regulatory regime and promoting good corporate governance

Furthering CEPA

• CEPA III to extend tariff-free access to more Hong Kong products and further liberalise market access for existing CEPA services sectors

Extend Individual Visit Scheme

• Chengdu, Jinan, Shenyang and Dalian to be included. Aim to extend scheme to other Pan-PRD provincial capitals

Regional Economic Co-operation

• Help Pan-PRD provinces and regions to reach global markets
• Strengthen planning interface with Guangdong to achieve full connectivity of air, sea and land transport networks in Greater PRD
• Reduce significantly the size of the restricted closed area along the border with Shenzhen. Start planning and consultation on land use in the area in 2006

Optimise Human Resources

• Consider a new admission scheme to allow talented Mainland and overseas people to stay in Hong Kong without securing a local job offer beforehand

Continuous Infrastructural Development

• Press ahead with major projects such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, Sha Tin to Central Link, West Hong Kong Island Line, KCRC Northern Link, MTRC South Hong Kong lsland Line and a new cruise terminal
• Further consultation on West Kowloon Cultural District project
• Consult LegCo on the plan to build a new Central Government Offices and LegCo Building on the Tamar site
• Set up a film development board

“Hong Kong is presented with unprecedented opportunities: our country is making spectacular progress and the Asia-Pacific region is poised for new growth. We face excellent prospects. Being in the right place at the right time, we now have the right climate for social harmony and good governance. This is an epochal opportunity for Hong Kong and we must seize it for future generations.”