Xia Baolong to Visit Hong Kong for Two-Day Inspection as City Launches Five-Year Plan Consultation

Xia Baolong, Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, will arrive in Hong Kong on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) for a two-day inspection visit and is expected to depart on Wednesday.

The trip coincides with the Hong Kong SAR government’s launch of a two-month public consultation on Monday for the city’s inaugural five-year development plan. Observers believe the plan will be a major focus of Xia’s discussions.

This marks Xia’s annual visit to Hong Kong for the past three years. His longest stay was in 2024, lasting a full week, during which he toured facilities such as the airport’s central control centre, met with senior officials, business leaders, and foreign chambers of commerce, and visited sites including Lion Rock Park.

In 2025, he made two trips: one in February that included the Hong Kong Park in the Loop and the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, and a five-day visit in June that featured meetings with heads of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, as well as engagements with higher education leaders and business and financial representatives. He also spoke at a forum marking the fifth anniversary of the Hong Kong National Security Law.

In recent months, Xia has conducted multiple inspection tours in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. These included a June 1-4, 2026 visit to the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone and Zhuhai, focused on supporting Hong Kong and Macao in aligning with the national 15th Five-Year Plan, deepening participation in Greater Bay Area development, and better integrating into the country’s overall development strategy. Earlier visits covered cities such as Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Huizhou.

National think tank adviser Lau Siu-kai noted that Beijing is particularly interested in Hong Kong’s formulation of its first five-year plan and progress on the Northern Metropolis development. Given the short two-day schedule, Lau suggested Xia is unlikely to conduct district-level visits this time.

The public consultation on Hong Kong’s five-year plan, which aims to align the city’s development with the national 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), is seen as a historic step. It seeks input on key areas including the economy, housing, land supply, infrastructure, and industrial development.

Xia’s visit is expected to provide an opportunity for high-level exchanges on these strategic priorities.