Chief Executive Donald Tsang has issued a call to the business sector and other quarters of the community to work with the government in an all-out effort to grasp the full potential set out by the 12th Five-Year Plan.

Attending a Hong Kong forum about the newest Five-Year Plan on Monday, he called for concrete strategies and development plans to help bring early success in order to cash in on these policies.

The chief executive noted that an independent chapter in the 12th Five-Year Plan devoted to Hong Kong and Macao is historic.

"The independent chapter details the positioning and the important functions of Hong Kong in the strategic development of country and shows conspicuously the central government's staunch support for maintaining prosperity and stability in Hong Kong," he said.

In his opening address to the forum, he said Hong Kong, under the challenges of globalization, needs to face international and regional competition by pursuing new breakthroughs on the basis of its own fundamental strengths.

The 12th Five-Year Plan will allow Hong Kong to make the most of its unique position under One Country, Two Systems.

Under the Basic Law, as well as on the international, national and regional levels, Hong Kong is presented with opportunities to scale new heights, he said.

Tsang cited the examples of urbanization, increased domestic consumption and expansion of the service industries on the mainland as opening the doors of opportunities to the city.

"A 1 percent increase in urbanization will mean an increase of 13 million in urban population," he said.

"It doubles the population of Hong Kong and brings about immense investment opportunities and consumption demands, with Hong Kong set to benefit from these opportunities."

Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang told the gathering that it is common consensus that Hong Kong should actively take part in the national blueprint.

Tang noted the phrase "support Hong Kong" occurred 11 times in the independent chapter.

In his view, the implied meaning of "support" is that the central government will actively respond to support any beneficial economic and social development of Hong Kong.

The other implied meaning of "support" is Hong Kong needs to formulate its own planning prior to implementation, he said.

"The planning by the central government is comparatively the dynamics and facilitation," he said.

"There is no such thing as it replacing Hong Kong's own planning or the so-called question of Hong Kong 'being planned'."

Talking about the mainland's service industries, he said the weighting will increase to 47 percent of GDP in 2015 from 43 percent in 2010.

Based on the 55 trillion yuan economic prospects for 2015, Hong Kong businessmen are presented with a mouth-watering 26 trillion yuan potential market.

As the national plan has been mapped out, implementation is the key now, Tang added.

He said he will lead in the discussions between government and stakeholders to work out concrete measures for implementing the part of the national plan as it affects Hong Kong.

At the forum, Frederick Lam, executive director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, suggested Hong Kong businessmen be patient and work step by step when it comes to market expansion on the mainland.

China Daily

(HK Edition 04/19/2011 page1)