Annual Report 2025

Hon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuen, President of the Legislative Council

“Confronting challenges with fortitude, offering earnest advice with a clear aim, upholding tradition while embracing innovations, and attaining results through pragmatic actions” encapsulates the characteristics of the Seventh Legislative Council (“LegCo”).

With the staunch support of the country, this LegCo, the first formed under an improved electoral system and the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong”, has created a new paradigm of constructive interaction between the Executive Authorities and the Legislature, reversing the prolonged predicament of internal strife in the past years. LegCo has restored rationality and efficiency. Guided by pragmatism and commitment, Members have thoroughly and thoughtfully scrutinized important bills that safeguard national security, boost the economy and improve people’s livelihood.

While I would not describe the performance of the Seventh LegCo as perfect, I can affirm that every Member has served with unwavering devotion. Over the past four years, Members have made concerted and all-out efforts in serving the country, Hong Kong and the people. Achievements that were once considered beyond our reach have now been accomplished. The remarkable results of this LegCo have laid the groundwork for the future success of the Legislature.

During the 2025 session, LegCo conducted 32 meetings, totalling approximately 335 hours of proceedings, passing 41 Government bills and 2 Members’ bills, all of which contributed significantly to Hong Kong’s economic development and improving people’s livelihood. Some of the bills passed addressed the “long-standing, big and difficult” problems facing the city. The challenges and complexity of scrutinizing these bills should not be underestimated. For example, the Basic Housing Units Bill sought to introduce a regulatory regime on the basic housing units and it was designed to eradicate substandard subdivided flats; the Road Traffic (Amendment) (Ride-hailing Service) Bill 2025 sought to regulate ride-hailing services; and the Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2025 sought to introduce new tobacco control measures, such as combating illicit cigarettes and prohibiting the sale of flavoured cigarettes, thereby protecting public health.

To comply with a court ruling, the Administration introduced the highly contentious Registration of Same-sex Partnerships Bill into LegCo for scrutiny, during which Members had gathered views from across society, weighing both traditional values and the overall interests of society. Although the Bill was negatived eventually, all relevant proceedings were open and transparent, and the voting result reflected mainstream public opinion. This episode exemplified how the executive, legislative and judicial branches perform their respective functions with mutual respect as well as checks and balances under Hong Kong’s executive-led system.

Gone are the confrontational scenes of the past, and in their place stands a ‍culture of diligence, pragmatism and meticulous efforts. Over the four-year term, the Seventh LegCo held 135 meetings, totalling approximately 1 ‍246 hours, and passed 130 bills. This represents a significant increase of over 60% compared with the 81 bills passed in the corresponding period of the previous term. What we should take the most pride in is the historic passage of the legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law, fulfilling a ‍constitutional duty that had been delayed for over 26 years.

On 19 March 2024, all Members unanimously passed the Safeguarding National Security Bill (“SNSB”) in its Third Reading, forming a “dual legislation and dual enforcement mechanism” alongside the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong ‍Kong Special Administrative Region (known as “Hong Kong National Security Law”). These laws plug loopholes in safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“HKSAR”), enabling Hong ‍Kong to focus fully on boosting the economy and pursuing development. After incorporating views put forward by the Bills Committee, the Administration proposed 91 amendments to the 181-clause SNSB, making the legislative work of safeguarding national security more substantive, meticulous and comprehensive.

The Administration’s receptiveness to Members’ contributions also extended to the processing of other bills. In this term, the Administration proposed more than 1 800 amendments to 65 bills, nearly half of which were made in response to Members’ views, demonstrating Members’ rigorous scrutiny and constructive role in perfecting the legislation. True to the principle of “collaboration without obstruction, monitoring without undue hindrance”, LegCo was by no means a “rubber stamp”; and it was not only one voice from the Administration.

In addition, the Seventh LegCo passed a number of bills to strengthen investor confidence and enhance Hong Kong’s competitiveness. For example, the Extension of Government Leases Bill streamlined the procedures for land lease extension and bolstered confidence among property owners and investors in Hong Kong’s long-term development; the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (Tax Concessions for Family-owned Investment Holding Vehicles) Bill 2022 helped attract more potential funds and family offices to Hong Kong; and the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (Tax Concessions for Intellectual Property Income) Bill 2024 helped consolidate Hong Kong’s competitiveness as a regional intellectual property trading centre.

Multiple bills related to people’s livelihood issues were dealt with effectively in this term. These included the District Councils (Amendment) Bill 2023 reforming the District Councils and improving district governance; the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Bill creating a comprehensive and effective protection web for children; the Road Tunnels (Government) (Amendment) Bill 2023 rationalizing traffic among the three road harbour crossings; and the Employment and Retirement Schemes Legislation (Offsetting Arrangement) (Amendment) Bill 2022 abolishing the “offsetting” arrangement under the Mandatory Provident Fund System.

On subsidiary legislation, the Seventh LegCo dealt with 714 items under the negative or positive vetting procedure. Members also raised a total of 2 ‍460 oral and written questions about the Government’s work, and debated 165 Members’ motions without legislative effect. Through these questions and motions that were closely attuned to the pulse of society and connected to Hong Kong’s economic and livelihood issues, Members have actively monitored the work of the Government, conveyed public concerns and strived to make the government policies more grounded and responsive.

The Finance Committee (“FC”) has operated smoothly throughout this term, examining and approving funding proposals in a practical and timely manner. Across the four-year term, FC approved a total of 261 funding proposals, involving financial commitments of $697.2 billion, supporting and facilitating the Government’s initiatives to develop the economy and improve people’s livelihood. During the 2025 session alone, FC held 35 ‍meetings totalling about 71 hours, approving 67 funding proposals involving about $126.8 billion, including 28 public works projects, 19 non-public works projects and 20 staffing establishment proposals.

LegCo strongly supports the HKSAR Government in accelerating the development of the Northern Metropolis (“NM”). In the 2025 session, FC ‍approved approximately $31.1 billion for NM infrastructure works, accounting for nearly 30% of the total public works funding allocation. Key projects included about $13.8 billion for the Second Phase Development of Yuen Long South New Development Area and about $9.6 billion for the Ngau Tam Mei water treatment works extension. FC also approved several research and development-related funding proposals totalling over $14 ‍billion to support the advancement of innovation and technology. These included $10 billion for the Innovation and Technology Industry-Oriented Fund and $3 billion for the Frontier Technology Research Support Scheme.

In April 2025, FC held 21 sessions of special meetings, spanning approximately 34 hours, to examine the Government’s Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year of 2025-2026. Members submitted around 3 900 written questions and raised follow-up questions and views during the meetings, exercising rigorous scrutiny over public expenditure.

Under the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong” and an executive-led system, the executive–legislative relationship has reached new heights in the Seventh LegCo, underpinned by a multi-level and comprehensive interaction mechanism. LegCo and the HKSAR Government share a common goal of reclaiming the opportunities lost to internal discord in the past while showcasing Hong Kong’s true agility.

I am grateful to the Chief Executive (“CE”) for his pioneering initiatives to introduce the Ante Chamber Exchange Sessions and the Chief Executive’s Interactive Exchange Question and Answer Sessions, further institutionalizing the exchanges between the two branches, and allowing Members, as “representatives of public opinion”, to convey public views to CE and government officials more effectively and directly. Many concrete, forward-looking and practical suggestions were incorporated into the Policy Addresses and became part of the governance blueprint. In April 2023, CE also led the largest-ever joint delegation of the HKSAR Government and LegCo on a visit to four Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (“GBA”).

Close collaboration between the Executive Authorities and the Legislature is vital to Hong Kong’s development. As an integral member of the HKSAR’s governing team, the Seventh LegCo has been committed to reinforcing Hong Kong’s connectivity with both the Chinese Mainland and the world. In July 2023, I led a delegation to Fujian to foster ties and exchanges with Mainland cities, seeking to better integrate Hong Kong into the overall national development. Multiple LegCo committees also conducted duty visits to GBA, the Yangtze River Delta region and other Mainland cities.

Domestically, we have drawn insights from the Mainland cities’ experiences in areas such as innovation and technology, youth development, and cross-boundary healthcare collaborations. At the same time, amid an ever-changing international landscape, LegCo has proactively responded to the nation’s call to “deepen international exchanges and cooperation” by seeking to strengthen external economic and trade partnerships, enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges, as well as share our successful experience of “one country, two systems”. Delegations of the Seventh LegCo visited three countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), namely Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, as well as Japan. I ‍also invited Consuls-General from various countries to LegCo to meet with Members on multiple occasions, aiming to expand our circle of friends, explore new opportunities, and tell the good stories of our country and Hong Kong.

The work of LegCo carries great importance and significant responsibilities. Embracing the spirit of “what is good can always be better”, Members have summarized the experiences of this LegCo and enhanced self-regulation by formulating a new Code for Members of the Legislative Council (“the Code”), improving the mechanism on Members’ performance of duties in response to the evolving expectations of the country and Hong Kong society.

The Code is implemented in the Eighth LegCo, providing clearer basis for Members to perform their duties. By setting out clear standards for Members’ conduct, ethics and work performance, the Code enhances the Legislature’s transparency and accountability, facilitating LegCo to better fulfil its constitutional functions. It is also conducive to improving the governance of the HKSAR Government, enabling it to serve the public better and contribute to national development.

The spirit of self-improvement and continual progress is also evident in the developments of LegCo’s hardware and software. In terms of hardware, the in-situ expansion project of the LegCo Complex, which was carried out without disrupting LegCo’s daily operations, was completed about half year ahead of schedule. All Members and their staff were able to work “under the same roof” earlier than planned. It has reduced public expenditure by avoiding the need to rent additional offices elsewhere. I would like to extend my gratitude to The Legislative Council Commission, the Secretariat, the Development Bureau, the Architectural Services Department, other relevant departments of the HKSAR Government and construction contractors for their close collaboration in creating this little miracle. More importantly, I am grateful to Members for their support and understanding throughout the construction period.

In the realm of software development, the Seventh LegCo actively pursued the vision of a smart legislature. Years of preparation and upgrades to the LegCo Intelligent Transcription System enabled us to introduce real-time subtitles into the live broadcasts of meetings during the 2025 session, making the meeting proceedings audible and visible to all, significantly enhancing the efficiency and transparency of the Legislature, and enabling the public to oversee the work of LegCo more effectively.

Credit is due to the Secretariat for upholding tradition while embracing innovations. In particular, I would like to thank the two Secretaries General, Ms Dora WAI Pik-yiu and Mr Kenneth CHEN Wei-on, with whom I ‍had the privilege of working. Their outstanding leadership and dedication have kept the Secretariat abreast of the times, while consistently providing professional support and advice to ensure the smooth operation of LegCo.

For 21 years since my election to the Third LegCo in 2004, and in particular for the past nine years as LegCo President with the support of my fellow Members, we have journeyed through highs and lows, experiencing both good times and challenging moments. Together, we have witnessed Hong ‍Kong’s transition from chaos to order, and its advances from stability to prosperity. I am immensely honoured, and filled with gratitude and humility.

Amid accelerating changes not seen in a century, Hong Kong plays a unique and increasingly vital role in the overall national development. As President XI Jinping emphasized, “We must maintain Hong Kong’s distinctive status and advantages.” As an international financial centre, Hong Kong draws strength from its proud and deep-rooted tradition of the rule of law. Hong Kong is also the country’s only common law jurisdiction underpinned by the free flow of talent, capital and information. While Chinese and Western cultures blend in the city, we enjoy the distinctive advantage of “enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world”. We must cherish and give full play to these uniquely endowed and unmatched advantages, and seek continuous progress with persistent commitment. “One country, two systems” is a ‍good policy that must be upheld resolutely and adhered to over the long term. This policy also meets the needs of the country and the aspirations of the people, while being the cornerstone of Hong Kong’s success.

At the time of writing, Hong Kong society is united in supporting the families affected by the devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po. This merciless blaze caused significant casualties. With the full support of the Central Government, the HKSAR Government has led various departments and all sectors of society to work together to follow up the disaster and assist the victims. Many warm-hearted citizens have contributed supplies and donated generously, demonstrating the spirit of solidarity amid adversity and mutual support irrespective of differences.

The responsibility of Members becomes even heavier in difficult times. The 2025 Legislative Council General Election was held as scheduled, and voters have elected capable and virtuous individuals who love the country and Hong Kong to be LegCo Members. Enacting laws, approving public expenditure and monitoring the work of Government are among the constitutional functions of LegCo. I firmly believe the new-term LegCo will continue to perform its duties conscientiously, fully supporting and complementing the HKSAR Government to enable society to restore normalcy at the earliest possible time after the disaster.

I also firmly believe that, under an executive-led system, the Eighth LegCo can build on past achievements and open new horizons that honour the mission of “loving the country, putting the people first, upholding professionalism, and faithfully performing duties”. Guided by the overall interests of the country and Hong Kong, Members will act selflessly, offer advice proactively and properly fulfil LegCo’s constitutional functions. Working in concert with the HKSAR Government, we will make Hong Kong’s distinctive advantages shine even brighter. May our country and Hong ‍Kong sail through winds and waves towards lasting stability and enduring prosperity!