The Chamber fully supports the Government’s efforts to streamline statutory processes in the Northern Metropolis (NM) through the introduction of dedicated legislation. We regard the NM as a key pillar in shaping Hong Kong’s future and advancing its long-term, high-quality socio-economic development under the National 15th Five-Year Plan. As a flagship initiative, it will play an important strategic role in deepening Hong Kong’s integration with the Greater Bay Area, while reinforcing its position as an international financial and innovation hub.
We welcome the Government’s proposed measures, including those aimed at enhancing the efficiency of planning and land administration, accelerating construction timelines, and facilitating smoother business operations. At the same time, we highlight several additional priority areas for the Government’s consideration, including strengthening international awareness and investment promotion, expediting project delivery and enhancing governance, advancing innovation-ready infrastructure, leveraging AI to develop a smart metropolis, incorporating sustainability benchmarks, and cultivating and empowering next-generation talent and stakeholders. Our submission underscores the importance of a comprehensive framework that ensures long-term commercial sustainability, while appropriately balancing the interests of investors, operators, and end-users of the NM mega-project.

Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) proposed an introduction of a two-tier surcharge mechanism aimed at urging non-compliant employers to settle outstanding contributions and surcharges promptly, thereby enhancing protection of employees’ MPF rights. The Chamber fully supports the MPFA’s commitment to promoting timely MPF contributions. However, we have great reservation over the envisaged arrangement. In lieu of a rigid two-tier fixed penalty structure, we recommend introducing an interest-based surcharge mechanism, which would be more proportionate and equitable.

The Chamber welcomes the Consultation Paper's objectives of broadening the pool of companies eligible for listing in Hong Kong while maintaining strong investor protection and market confidence. The Chamber considers that the proposed measures, taken together, could further reinforce Hong Kong’s position as a leading international financial centre.

From an implementation perspective, we also highlight the importance of enhancing efficiency and clarity in the listing process without compromising regulatory standards. Our suggestions cover, amongst others, the potential benefits of facilitating threshold relaxations for overseas issuers and introducing closely supervised grace periods for minor, non‑material compliance matters, to improve market accessibility while safeguarding regulatory integrity.