Business Daily Media

The Times Real Estate

.

Budget by Hong Kong SAR’s Financial Secretary: Accelerating Development through Reform and Innovation

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 26 February 2025 - Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region unveiled his 2025-26 Budget today (February 26). He noted that while geopolitical situation might bring risks, technology reform and artificial intelligence (AI) development are remoulding the global landscape, leading to the emergence of new industries, new forms of business, new products and new services.

He stressed that Hong Kong must seize the opportunity to make the most out of this critical window to speed up development, establishing the new before abolishing the old. He also emphasised that transformation and innovation will lead the way into the future, and the Government is poised to fast-track the high-quality development of Hong Kong's economy.

The Budget presents a series of measures aimed at accelerating the cultivation of new quality productive forces. On innovation and technology (I&T), the Government will promote Hong Kong into an international exchange and co-operation hub for the AI industry. Through frontier research and real-world application, the Government will endeavour to develop AI as a core industry and empower traditional industries in their upgrading and transformation. To spearhead and support Hong Kong's innovative research and development as well as industrial application of AI, the Government will establish the Hong Kong AI Research and Development Institute and launch the Pilot Manufacturing and Production Line Upgrade Support Scheme (Manufacturing+). On finance, the Government will continue to take forward reforms to the listing regime, host the Hong Kong Global Financial and Industry Summit, and formulate a plan this year on promoting gold market development.

Hong Kong SAR’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan delivers the 2025-26 Budget in the Legislative Council.
Hong Kong SAR’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan delivers the 2025-26 Budget in the Legislative Council.

To seize the opportunities brought about by the rapid advancement of innovation and technology, the Budget highlights the need to accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis, which is an investment in Hong Kong's future. The Government will continue to accord priority to providing resources for this initiative, which primarily includes providing large tracts of I&T land at the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone, together with San Tin Technopole; adopting an innovative mindset in piloting "large-scale land disposal"; developing a data facility cluster at Sandy Ridge; as well as identifying suitable sites in the Northern Metropolis for the construction of conference and exhibition facilities.

On the promotion of tourism, funding will be allocated to pursue the concept of "tourism is everywhere" and implement the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong's Tourism Industry 2.0. A study will be conducted on the development of the waterfront and former sites to the south of the Hung Hom Station in Kowloon into a new harbourfront landmark in Kowloon, including a yacht club.

Regarding land supply, Mr Chan announced that the Government will not roll out any commercial site for sale in the coming year in view of the high vacancy rates of offices in recent years to allow the market to absorb the existing supply. The Government will also consider rezoning some of the commercial sites into residential use and allowing greater flexibility of land use.

The Budget presents a series of measures aimed at accelerating the cultivation of new quality productive forces.
The Budget presents a series of measures aimed at accelerating the cultivation of new quality productive forces.

Mr Chan proposed a reinforced version of the fiscal consolidation programme to focus on strictly controlling government expenditure, supplemented by increasing revenue, to restore fiscal balance in the Operating Account, in a planned and progressive manner, within the current term of the Government. The Government will also deliver more efficient public services to citizens through leveraging technology, streamlining processes and driving the digital transformation of public services. Mr Chan said he will uphold the "user pays" and the "affordable users pay" principles as far as practicable while increasing revenue, including increasing the air passenger departure tax, and reviewing the tolls of government tunnels and trunk roads. The Government will suitably expand the size of bond issuance on the premise of maintaining healthy public finances and use the funds raised on infrastructure works in a proper and flexible manner to invest in Hong Kong's future and create value for society.

More information about the 2025-26 Budget is available from www.budget.gov.hk.

Hashtag: #hongkong #brandhongkong #asiasworldcity #budget






The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

News from Asia

Hey! Chips Launches Singapore’s First Clean-Label Fruit Bites Snack

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 16 April 2025 - Singapore’s leading clean snack brand, Hey! Chips, is proud to introduce its latest innovation: Hey! Fruit Bites. A first-of-its-kind freeze-...

Sustainability progress to 2030 delivering value for Hongkong Land

Key achievements include: 33.3% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions against 2019 baseline, making good progress toward 2030 target...

Crayon’s Biennial Future of Operations Study Uncovers What is Driving SMB IT Spend in APAC

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 16 April 2025 - ​Crayon, a global leader in IT services and innovation, today announced the latest release of its biennial Future of Operations study ...

Shama Hub Metro South Hong Kong Unveils Characteristic Panda-Themed Rooms This Spring

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 16 April 2025 - Shama Hub Metro South Hong Kong ("Shama Hub Metro South"), a contemporary urban retreat and distinguished member of the ONYX Hospitality...

Zero Fintech Group Limited (Stock Code: 0093.HK) Announces Record-Breaking 2024 Annual Results

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 16 April 2025 - Zero Fintech Group Limited ("Zero Fintech" or the "Company", stock code: 0093.HK), a leading fintech innovator, is proud to announce its s...

All roles, all levels, all markets: General Assembly launches first-of-its-kind one-stop AI Academy to help companies close their AI skills gap

This is the first in Singapore to offer flexible AI courses geared towards all organisational roles – from business and operational teams to decision-makers – all in one place Unl...

Leong Yik Launches New Website & Enhanced Client Experience to Mark 7 Years in SG

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 16 April 2025 - Leong Yik Engineering & Contractor has launched a newly redesigned website to mark its 7th year of operations in Singapore. The new platfo...

Hong Kong Tech Companies Set Sights on Southeast Asia and Beyond at GITEX Asia 2025

15 Tech Companies Showcase AI, Telecommunications, and Green and Construction Tech at HKSTP Pavilion HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 16 April 2025 - The Hong Kong Science and Technology ...

Loft Logistics Ventures into Malaysia with New Warehouse

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 17 April 2025 - Loft Logistics, a 3PL logistics service provider in Singapore, is proud to announce its business expansion into Malaysia with a new warehouse...

Spotlight on Thai Excellence

ACES Awards 2025 Welcomes Nominations BANGKOK, THAILAND - Media OutReach Newswire - 17 April 2025 - From Bangkok’s iconic shopping districts to bold strides in sustainability and social change, Th...

Cutting edge AI technology designed for doctors to reduce patient wait times launched in NZ

New Zealand specialist doctors now have access to Artificial Intelligence technology to help reduce patient wait times and experts say it could be...

Launchd Takes Off: Former AFL Stars Lead Tech-Powered Platform Set to Disrupt Talent and Influencer Marketing

Backed by Institutional Capital, Launchd Combines Five Leading Agencies and Smart Technology to Deliver Measurable Results Influencer marketing i...

Meet the Australian fintech unlocking rewards for small businesses

Small businesses make up 98 per cent of all businesses in Australia, yet they continue to bear the brunt of economic uncertainty. According to Credi...

Teleperformance (TP) Business Insights Report Reveals Key Shifts in Consumer Behaviour

TP’s Business Insights report  into consumer behaviors and preferences, taking in more than 57,000 respondents across 19 sectors, is shedding new li...

HubSpot launches platform-wide AI tools to help businesses close the adoption gap

HubSpot today unveiled more than 200 updates across its customer platform to help businesses grow better. The release introduces smarter tools, new AI...

Why Every Leader Needs a Personal Branding Strategy in 2025

One of the best investments you can make in 2025? Your Personal Brand.In today’s competitive and digitally driven business world, authenticity and...

Sell by LayBy