New Population Policy a Priority for HKSAR

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, June 09, 2002

New Population Policy a Priority for HKSAR

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Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa said Saturday that the HKSAR government's priority in his second term of office starting July 1 is a new population policy for Hong Kong.

The new policy is to ensure a better quality of Hong Kong population and its competitiveness, Tung made the remarks during asymposium entitled "Challenges and Opportunities of an Aging Population."

Due to Hong Kong's current low birth rate leading to an aging population, a need arises for the government to make a new policy for the population to ensure its sustainable development, he said.

"In order to maintain our economic vitality and competitiveness, we need to lay down a comprehensive population policy in accordance with the direction of our economic development, the demands in our labour market, the availability of the land resource, the immigration situation and the endowment of employment opportunities."

"This is to improve the quality of population and ensure the society's sustainable development. This will be one of the priorities set for the commencement of the second term of office the HKSAR government."

Tung said the speed at which Hong Kong population ages is faster than what was expected, adding that by 2031, the size of the population aged 65 or above will be over two million, meaning that one in every 4 people in Hong Kong will be aged 65 or above, he said.

But Tung said an aging population is not necessarily a burden to the society, provided that the elderly people, as a resource, is properly utilized. Through encouraging them to take part in voluntary community work and a sustainable welfare scheme, this population could contribute to the society.

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